[KevinMS]

I'm in the boston area and I have a similar experience I seeming to be outside the job market. While I don't have comp sci degree I have lots of work experience as well as a small web business that demonstrates lots of solid code. Just some people don't have the connections or the luck maybe?

[techiferous]

The Boston market is hot right now. If you want, feel free to send me your web business / experience and I can give you an objective take on whether you are hirable (maybe you have something that is a "red flag"?). But if you know how to code--and especially if you have built your own web business--you shouldn't have a problem finding work here, so maybe you just need the connections.

[KevinMS]

I think the "red flag" is that I'm over 40. I get screened by HR because I don't have a comp sci degree, and then I end up interviewing with 20 something rails hipsters that just feel uncomforable around an old dot-commer.

The perl community is much much better, which I'm going back to. The rails community has little tolerance for differences. Don't believe me? look at the "about us" in any rails shop, if they have pictures, what do you see? http://thoughtbot.com/about/