[linuxftw]

Upload your resume to the job boards. I've had almost no success applying through the standard process, but when companies or recruiters reach out to me, it's been ~ 75% offer rate with jobs I followed through on.

> I can't figure out what the problem is

Companies don't know what they want and are incapable of hiring the best talent.

My advise is to find the tech you want to work on, and apply to those jobs. If you're short on skills in those areas, github and personal projects with go a long way if you already have general programming experience.

> feel increasingly insecure about my ability to build a career

This is a real problem for the industry. If you're focused on the front end, you're disposable I think. That area is completely commoditized and easily done by outsourcing. Focus on the infrastructure and the backend if you want to be in high demand.