It's hard starting out.

Let's look at the opposite end of the spectrum. People that have more requests for work than they have time. This is common, especially in your field (programming).

So - a hack I like to suggest. Befriend one of these people! They exist on reddit, twitter, etc. Find them, they love humble bragging "ah I turn down jobs all the time nbd".

These people are like magnets for jobs, and because of that, they are also extremely credible sources of referrals. Hey xyz! I heard you are turning down a lot of jobs because you're too busy. Do you mind sending those my way?

Hope that helps.