Most agree the present environment makes it harder to succeed with self-employment.

The most effective job-seekers, ... use an average of 6.8 different employment resources when they search for jobs, combining online, networking and recruiter tools.

Respondents in the mountain states -- where self-employed technologists are proportionately rare -- were the most optimistic, regionally.

The Northwest also has a high percentage of self-employed tech professionals: They may be speaking from sad experience.

Obviously it's nice, but I've been fortunate to be in an environment that allows me to succeed. It's about building relationships and I've been lucky enough to be surrounded by some great people and great players.

There's a certain amount of nervousness at present. ... It's a harsh environment out there and this is not easy. We don't really know what to expect, frankly. ... It could be anything from a crater the size of a football stadium to something that's far more modest. Or the spacecraft could simply bury itself into the comet.