Title: In a nutshell, I&#x27;m wondering if the market has shifted in the past 10-15 months or so, and how we can measure it.<p>I get the sense that, socially, we&#x27;re not supposed to talk about these things.  To acknowledge that I&#x27;ve had trouble finding work makes me seem weak or less valuable.  To discuss money at all is a social taboo.<p>I don&#x27;t know about y&#x27;all, but for my part, I had absolutely no trouble finding work - usually without even really trying - from mid-2011 to mid-2016.<p>I have no doubt that I&#x27;m valuable in the right contexts, and that hasn&#x27;t changed in the timeframe I&#x27;m talking about.  I&#x27;m neither &quot;junior grade&quot; nor out of date.  I feel totally in my prime.<p>Nor have the technologies on which I&#x27;m most often contracted to work (python, usually web stuff, usually django) lost enough market share to explain it.<p>My rate ($6k &#x2F; week) is not, in my estimation, too high for the value I provide.<p>So my question: is anyone else having a similar experience?  Is there a way that we can gauge changes in the market?<p>And then also: whether or not my experience is unique, what&#x27;s the best thing to do when you have long stretches without solid work?  Learn a new skill?<p>I&#x27;ve been working a lot lately on Raspberry Pi, off-grid tech, power monitoring, etc.  I live on a school bus (http:&#x2F;&#x2F;thisisthebus.com&#x2F;) and I&#x27;ve developed a lot of interesting tech for that purpose.  But then once you start to feel comfortable with new skills, how do you develop a new client base?
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