[dieselgate]

Right on, am sort of in a similar boat. Have been software contracting for a few years but it's still not truly "independent" dev work.

Probably the best way is to just do more independent software development. Personally think dog-fooding business tools are good to work on - solving your own problems.

One tough part about working independently is not being exposed to others' ideas. Keeping up on industry trends and continuing to learn via whatever means may also be relevant.