Yes, I think it is possible. US paperwork for dealing with contractors abroad is extraordinarily lenient: you are hireable for exactly the same amount of work it takes to hire non-US-located-US-citizen me, or less, if the party doing the hiring has their act together. (This is decidedly not the case for on-site engagements: if it would require traveling to the US, having a US passport makes life much, much easier for all parties.)

Oftentimes, I feel like I could bring a lot to some company's table, but no one will even consider my offer because of my geographical situation.

How are you identifying clients? How are you pitching them? Do you have problems with leads when you get to the "By the way, I'm in Russia" question? Does that happen a lot? I think you can probably finesse the location issue if you pitch a) more prospects and b) better prospects.

> How are you identifying clients? How are you pitching them?

To be honest, I just responded to some web-published offers for contract work I saw anywhere, and I didn't have any measurable progress at all. Most of them just didn't respond, but those who did told me that they weren't interested because I wasn't from US, so it disappointed me (after all, I'd spent non-trivial time writing a reply, not just blanket-bombed them with my resume) and hurt my confidence. For now I've got a regular job, but when I decide to move on, I will certainly try to do more and better prospects.

Thank you for the answer, Patrick, it means a lot to me.

xentronium There is no way to private message on HN, but I am in need of programming work here please email me cvos{at}netpaths{dot}net

In the spirit of this post, it pays to be active where potential employers are. If you want to work with HN type of companies, then being an active member of this community is one of the surest ways to success, especially if you have physical barriers such as being in a different country.