Method #11 - Software Development

Despite the recent Great Recession there is still a massive undersupply of programmers and software developers.
Programming itself is becoming outsourced to places like India. But a software developer sees the broader picture and is able to manage and apply different programming jobs into a larger cohesive project or application.
The big boom area at the moment is web development and mobile applications. There are thousands of businesses out there who are under-utilizing their web and mobile presence and have tons of money to throw at it. That’s where you would come in. As there aren’t enough developers to meet the demand at the moment.
Pros: High demand and big pay days. There are a couple of software developers in my mastermind group and they’re regularly bantering about five-figure projects they’re working on. Also, software developers are integral to any start up, meaning that the skill-set will often net you an equity stake in many of the start ups you hop aboard.
Cons: Must be highly qualified to do it. It’s probably the only thing on this list that you HAVE to go to school for at some point, unless you’re just a prodigy or something. The other big problem with software development is that if you’re going to get out of the cubicle, you’re going to need some connections and big ticket clients to get you out the door. Almost everyone I’ve met who is making this work started out at a larger company, bailed and brought a few clients with them to get them going. Unlike some other skills, freelancing on Elance or oDesk will not be lucrative, as you’ll be battling all of the $10 and $12 an hour Indian developers.