Can't find any jobs/projects anymore, any advice appreciated
I've worked with C++ for 10+ years, also made some websites with PHP/MySQL. I've been self-employed for a while now but there are barely any projects anymore and for the few I'm qualified for I'm not getting hired.
Basically everyone wants some niche knowledge or rare combinations of skills that probably like 5 people have, e.g. experience with accounting in doctor's offices or something like that. Maybe they're just describing the candidate they already have but are legally required to look for other candidates? Multiple times I've been told that the project has been given to a programmer they have worked with before.
I live in Germany, so I've been looking for German projects on German freelancer websites to avoid having to compete with English-speaking developers from low-income countries. (I have been advised to do that a few years ago, is that still good advice?)
I don't know what to do now. I even have some clients who cancel/pause their contracts with me because they have issues finding customers, too.
I'm somewhat seriously thinking about switching careers but the only thing I can think of where I could get a job basically instantly would be manual labor like carpenters, electricians, etc. While I don't mind renovating my own home, I don't like to work on construction sites and I feel like I would have wasted years of school, university, and work in CS, so that's not really an alternative.
Are there any things similar to CS/programming that could be interesting for me, i.e. something that involves problem solving and abstract thinking? Or is there a better way of finding clients that eludes me?