[Smeevy]

As someone with similar leanings, I used to wonder the same thing. I've been running my own company since 2001 and I've had a few engagements where I've been called in to resolve thorny problems for clients. In my experience, that work is inconsistent and based entirely on reputation. Additionally, bringing in another developer to fix a defect can cause a lot of friction with the client and is just generally problematic.

Management perspective: "These guys can't clean up their own mess. Let's go burn some more money with 0xf005ba11 to fix their screw-up."

Developer perspective: "I could have done exactly what 0xf005ba11 did if I just had a little more time and support."

>My question is: can one be self-employed fixing bugs? I feel like it's a lot of marketing and networking to get a day or two of work.

Even if you're amazing at it, I can't see how to manage a sales pipeline of just that.