If you mean doing contract/consulting work, I'm not interesting in that at this point. As for close interaction with customers, I can't agree more. I learned that lesson the hard way as an user interface programmer for a persistent online game. We got most of our feedback on the game forums, and game players are very opinionated customers. It was so much better to talk directly to them rather than being mediated by game designers. And definitely better than implementing in a vacuum only to find out later that what you did is not what they wanted.

Because no consumer will pay the $10-20K or so it takes to develop a product prototype from an idea on paper. The customer wants to pay the $19.99 for a finished product - and then maybe not.

There are 7 million small businesses in the United States. Almost every one of them needs SOMETHING readers of this site can provide. Many of them are desperate, but don't know where to turn.

When they pay you for something, you don't have to pay them back and you don't have to give them equity. And you learn 10 times more by doing than reading or surfing. And they will "connect" you to others.

I have learned many technologies by reading, surfing, and playing. It was fun. And it usually led nowhere.

On the other hand...

I learned Visual Basic on the job by converting a local radio station's programming software.

I learned HTML on the job by building intranet reports from flat files for a local office supply distributor.

I learned Javascript on the job by building a front end for a local clinic's call center.

I learned PHP/MYSQL on the job by building mini-apps for several local small businesses.

Starting to get the picture?

I wasted almost no time learning what was cool unless I needed it. And I ran into problems I never would imagine if it wasn't for these jobs. I can't imagine learning anything any better way. I run into techno "know it alls" all the time. After 30 seconds, I can tell they read about it, but never did it. The day I become one of them, just shoot me.

If independently, your business skills must be excellent - to get so many clients who would not choose an off the shelf solution.

But in any case, these are not products.