[thankthunk]

> Is it practical to bill myself out at $500/hr at some point being a front-end dev?

I doubt it. Maybe if you are a rockstar dev in a highly specialized field with highly specialized domain knowledge and the employer is time constrained and desperate for a hire.

The median front-end dev salary is around $75K. Generally contractors can bill 1.5 to 2X what the salaried folks make. But I guess it varies with location. Also, keep in mind that unless you have contacts, you will have to go through recruiters who will take a portion of billing rate.