[noshbrinken]

It sounds like your approach is already very proactive and productive. Don't underestimate the value of persistence. I spent a year teaching myself to code. I was able to get a foot in the door through an internship at a NYC agency. This came after several months of fruitless applications and one freelance gig that ended because I didn't know enough about WordPress. I was dog walking in the meantime. Now I am a software engineer. Truly entry-level positions are (in my experience) hard to find for a new web developer. Once you have your first professional experience, internship or junior position, you will receive more interest from prospective employers. Unfortunately, the lack of entry level positions means that you have to have patience and persistence in the beginning. Believe in yourself. Trust that you made the right commitment. Keep at it. I did little things like buying clothes that I was going to wear when I finally had my first web dev job. I didn't wear those clothes until the first day of my internship. By investing in that future, even in silly, little ways, it helped me to believe that future would be a reality.

If you're in NYC, check out the BoroughJS meetups. I don't know if this will help you find a job but I think it will help you to feel part of the JavaScript community. You are part of that community if you choose to be, even if you don't have a job. People there will (in my experience) take you seriously regardless.

Finally, a word on bootcamps. I've interviewed several candidates who graduated from bootcamps. Some are great. Others are not. I think the attitude generally is that a bootcamp listed on a resume isn't an indication of anything. If this is one of the primary ways you define yourself, I would deemphasize it. Instead, emphasize code you've written (in the form of Github repos, Gists, CodePens, live sites, etc.) and communicate that you think like a programmer, even if you don't have a lot of experience. These are the two things I focus on when interviewing junior candidates.

[MsgingABottle]

Thanks for the thoughtful response! I've heard—and believe—that it'll get much easier to move forward after this next big step, but it's hard to feel like I'm just treading water.

I'll definitely check out the BoroughJS meetups, thanks for that.

Also, very much agree that a bootcamp on a resumé isn't an indicator of much—there were a very broad range of attitudes and skill sets at mine, and I think it's getting broader with every incoming cohort.