What the best way to get gigs thats not race to the bottom style jobs on Upwork? I am in that exact situation right now trying to work remote, I have some professional experience but I'm still a junior dev.
For remote work, you're only a junior dev if you tell them you're a junior dev.
If you can show potential employers a profile of existing work and can convince them that you will bring worth to their company then you can find work.