Thanks, I have a much clearer view. A little background on me so you can see I know what I'm talking about. I'm a 12+ year web app developer who specializes in front-end development.
Proficient in:
SQL, Java, Hibernate, c#, ASP.net, ASP MVC + Razor, Entity Framework, Coldfusion, Railo, Visual Studio, IntelliJ, Javascript, jQuery, Mootools, Backbonejs, css, LESS, bootstrap.
Familiar with:
IIS, Apache, Tomcat, Maven, Artifactory
Currently Mastering:
knockoutjs, knockbackjs
Dabbled in:
Python, Ubuntu web server, Pylons.
So here are my assumptions about you, and I'll follow it up with advice:
You are not a developer or engineer, you are a hacker. You've probably thought or said something to the effect of "Users don't care what the code looks like, all that matters is that it works". You are probably good at getting things working quickly but given a large project can find yourself weighed down with code debt and that once rapid productivity rate comes screeching to a halt.
I think of programmers as having personality types, and if you match up the correct personality type with the correct tasks, that individual can be very productive. So, if I am correct, you are a hacker. You are best suited for working on prototypes or at custom software shops where getting an initial app launched is way more important than code maintainability.
You have a long background in market analysis, I'm guessing 4+ years, so if you can find a company creating software to aid in market analysis, you could champion yourself as both a developer and domain expert to that company.
Advice:
1) You have sent out roughly 168 resumes over a 6 month period and none of those have resulted in an interview. So either your resume is terrible, or you are applying to the wrong jobs, but I suspect its most likely both. Send me your resume, and I'll look over it with my friend and we'll critique it for you. hnsakes [at] gmail.com
2) Rewrite your resume from scratch, referencing your original resume for content. Your resume should always be coupled with a cover letter that has been tailored to the position you are applying for.
3) Understand the value that you bring and tell the employer how you will help them. Going on my assumptions above that would consist of banging out prototypes or small to medium sized applications quickly.
4) Apply to companies that are looking to start transitioning from people services to technology services. For example, I am currently contracting with a book publisher helping them move from selling books to delivering content via a web application.
5) Apply to custom software shops. They will have projects of all sizes, and hackers typically shine in these environments.
6) Apply to companies providing market analysis services where you can leverage your domain experience to add value.
7) Always apply to companies looking for a .NET / c# developer, don't pick up a new tech stack unless you need to, meaning some company is interested in hiring you but they don't use c#.
Critique:
You think c# is bad, you think visual studio is bad, but you don't have the experience to know why nor were you able to find the good parts in those techs.
Visual Studio is pretty amazing, c# is pretty amazing. The only problem with visual studio is that it is not IntelliJ, the only problem with c# is the web is polluted with poor code snippets due to a disproportionate amount of poor developers in that community compared to others. Building Microsoft based web solutions is just too easy to get started with, and developers tend to plateau pretty quickly as a result.
Entity Framework, is just awesome. I just wish I could code this stuff in intellij rather than VS though.
So this is my initial response. I'd be happy to go into more details over email or in this comment thread. This won't be hard to fix. You will have a job soon enough, you just need to know yourself better, and allocate your resources correctly (fine tuning the jobs you apply for, polishing your resume, and as a last resort working with new technologies after you have addressed the job search techniques/resume).