[edw519]

...the only thing stopping me from beginning looking for work is my irrational fear of technical inadequacy...

The most important thing I ever learned from my first programming mentor, "Consulting is not a matter of how good you are, it's a matter of how far in front of your users you can stay."

I've done hundreds of consulting projects and I can testify that his words still ring true today.

Go for it.

[tocomment]

What do you mean, how far in front?

[edw519]

Good question. I guess my simplest possible answer would be to never be on the critical path. In other words, no project I ever work on is waiting for me to do something. I get done what we've agreed upon as quickly as possible, ready for the next steps. Invariably, if you're any good at all, you will almost always be waiting on the customer for something. As long as you're in this position, you're in good enough shape that you should never be afraid to take on business.

I was addressing OP's irrational fear of doing something, which, in his case, is probably exactly that: irrational. Hope that answers your question.