[al1x]

I'd suggest creating a few accounts on elance and odesk and under-bid on as many small projects as you can. I say create a few accounts there because contractors there are limited to the number of bids they can make (per month, I think). I say under-bid because you're up against a slew of Asian developers, who charge $500 for a month's work. But do it. You'll be making real money, building a real resume, and gaining a ton of experience. Once you get a few projects under your belt there it's easy to land gigs. Just make sure you deliver as promised and get rated well and after 6 months you could continue using those sites to source projects, at whatever rate you chose.