Freelancer.com

You're right that it can be more difficult to compete now, since the cost of living inside the USA is higher than many other countries such as Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan..etc. However, this is when you need to make yourself stand out more. Being in America you're probably on the same type of business hours most of your clients would be. You're also probably much easier to communicate with.. These are just a few reasons it would be better for US clients to pick you over someone from another country.

It's still possible to get plenty of clients, but you might need to start at expanding past the micro job websites. Forums are another great place to advertise your services and find long lasting clients!

I'm a web developer from Philippines before I got involved in Internet Marketers. Based on my experience it does not really matter where the person came from as long as you got good portfolio to show to your clients.

Yes, at first it would be hard to increase your price but that how everybody started (even in marketing) once you got a good track record to show people will not mind to pay a higher amount as long as they know you'll get the job done.

My tip is don't be afraid to work for less than your worth when just starting out. It is a good way for you to meet new clients and hopefully ,when they loved your work they will give you referrals which then you can ask for a higher price.

It's all about portfolio and how many people say good things about your service.

As we know USA in expensive to live. It look you would like to earn money at home. You can take programming class on udemy if they pay good. You can also make a tutorial channel for earn. In freelancer there have less competitor on programming and it's good price then price then other project. If you can work on unix, ruby in freelancer sites i hope you will earn a handsome amount

You can use it to get testimonials while at least getting paid something. Then, IF IT'S ALLOWED, you could contact your past clients and thank them for their business and tell them it was nice working with them....but you're going to start your own business....

If they like your work maybe they will follow you.

Otherwise, you now have testimonials you can use to promote your "real" business... and you made a little money getting experience.

Good luck with your career!

Charlie

Not really - I am in Ireland and get some regular work from Freelancer - you just need to completely fill out your profile, look out for particular things the poster is looking for and highlight those - for example, I paid for Copyscape Premium and became a Platinum Author on Ezinearticles to show that a) my writing is good enough to get Platinum (and I can use those articles as samples) and b) I can provide proof the work is my own and not plagiarized. As a writer that helps me - as a programmer, take some time to look through the other offers for the gigs you are looking at and see what those people offer in their profiles. See what makes each profile attractive and emulate it. Don't rely on Freelancer, but also use Odesk etc. and always have your own site where people can hire you directly.

Hope it starts turning around for you!

The same problem is affecting freelancers on all freelance websites: oDesk, Elance, even Fiverr! The freelancers from countries that don't have such a high cost of living are willing to work for a lot less! However (!! this is important) you have the advantage of being a native English speaker, so you should add that to your profile, your chances to land a job will probably increase.

Other than that, just make sure you offer your best! Show people that you're better than anyone else and they will come to you even if you charge more than others.

Third world labor produces third world quality work. Those who insist on cheap labor can see only that the system technically works, but they are oblivious to the security holes and optimization issues. The clients who know better aren't the ones trying to flick peanuts into developing nations.

Here I would like to suggest you if you want to do work in the freelancing site, you can do work when you are a student. It may consider as a part time job. It may help you to support with your main income. The US has a huge cost for livelihood. I think if you want to depend fully on the freelancing site, it may difficult to lead your good life is US. You can do online business to lead a good life in the US.

Maybe you should try on Odesk, Elance, Genuine Jobs and such.
I get really annoyed when I see posts like this one. Of course, there are many freelancers that provide absolutely cra*py content, but that's no excuse. You have to find customers who prefer quality over quantity. Lastly, here is a part of an article that perfectly sums it up:

''There will always be cheap-a*s clients who want the world for a few dollars. If they can't find that in you, they might look elsewhere where the cost of living is lower and people can work for less. But here's reality. Most of the time, they won't get what they really want. They won't get the same quality of work. There is no single "global writers market."
Writers elsewhere will work for whatever they need, and they'll satisfy certain markets. But those aren't your markets. If you've done your job, you've identified the right target market for your services. That includes clients' ability to pay your rates.

If you're not finding those people, it's not on prospects who are looking for something different. And it's certainly not on writers in other parts of the world. It's on you. You screwed up somewhere. Figure out where that is -- from your initial targeting to your marketing tactics -- and fix it. When you focus on the right group of prospects, you won't be competing with bottom-dollar service providers or running into clients looking for quick content on the cheap.''

I am an active member of freelance since 2008. My suggestion would be...

1.Bid low and win projects
2.Do the good work
3.Get positive review
4.Go to step 1 again..

Once you earn good respect, obviously you can increase your bid price...

Good luck..