As a developer, there is lots of demand. People will ask to hire you. Politely decline and offer to contract. Eventually someone will accept. Then when they want to hire you, politely decline again. Eventually they may even offer to hire you at a fair salary, which you may choose to accept.
Keep in mind you need to be more than a developer. You are now a professional with a private business, and you need to act that way. You need to be your own boss, be accountable, communicate well, and hold yourself to a high standard.
If you are a cave dwelling developer who's bitter about managers and non-technical people, you should probably stick with your salaried job.
I can't understand how a competent, experienced developer with basic communication skills would have trouble finding contract work once they start looking. That said, I've encountered plenty of incompetent or obviously lying developers looking for contract work. If that's you, keep working until you are competent and don't have to lie.