[skraelingjar]

As others have pointed out there are generally two flavors of 'web developers' and I've been on both sides. Having worked at agencies, with outsourced talent, and building web apps with modern tools; there seems to be a divide between the self-taught and the educated.

I got a BS in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and all my web development learning and experience came from my own projects or on the job. It's been difficult for me to find an engineering or product management position despite having experience (one phone interview for ~25 applications). There's definitely more I can do on my part however this isn't unique to me.

Perhaps the fact that many companies have switched to automated screening systems to filter out all the junk resumes has made it harder to get interviews? To answer your question, the need in the market is there and if you are patient, your risk should be rewarded.