[Matt_Mickiewicz]

Not one company has invited you to come onsite for a day-long interview to code alongside the team?

You should be upfront with the employer. "I think the best way for me to showcase my skills would be to come onsite for a day, and tackle whatever projects you're working on currently. After 8 hours, you'll have a good assessment as to whether or not it's a fit, and vice-versa."

[Ryel]

Not one company has asked me to write code on a computer.

Also important to note these are almost all fully funded companies with solid dev teams. I've had great offers that just never worked out due to fit (or rather lack of passion from the dev teams).

I've thrown the offer out there on several occasions but it's always refused or delayed to the point where contact drops. One time the senior engineer told me my offer to come in and code on my own dime was "nonsense" and If I knew better I wouldnt be offering my work for free, because that would hurt the "startup economy".

My faith in the NY Tech Scene is pretty much non-existent to the point I'd rather make hourly wage in manual labor and hack on projects in my own time, as opposed to burning myself out around people like noted above.

--edit-- Which is exactly what I do

[kethinov]

Offering to pay for it probably puts people off.

You're suggesting a quite legitimate (if not common) method of assessing your skills. You're already paying for it with your time, as are they.

If they think it's a novel idea and worth their time to give it a shot, they might go for it. Or possibly give you homework as a decent compromise.

But the upfront suggestion of money exchanging hands does add a certain ridiculousness to the idea on the face of it.

Just ask for a coding assignment or a trial day at the office on an actual problem to work on without cash and it might work better.