It's just been a case of prioritising, really. Running several websites from student societies' to independent stuff (looking back, why on earth didn't I monetise any of it?) meant people knew I did websites, which led to being paid for doing one-off stuff. I then spent summers and holidays doing more complex jobs, including rentacoder type work. Worked for local startups and big corporations in summer vacations (sometimes freelancing in my spare time). Broke free of academia, did a bit more freelancing, then realised I had the freedom at last (no academic terms round the corner) to start up rather than do odd jobs for the rest of my life. You'll know when the time is right for that. Good luck! :)
