That is a difficult question to answer. I mean, I get my work through reputation [1] & luck and 30 years experience but that isn't actionable advice for you. I would say that the trick to getting into work that puts the most "happiness under the curve" is to find a small company [2] that really needs you. Look for that advertisement on Craig's list, talk to your friends, develop a skill that you can leverage. [3]
[1] As I tell people: "People know my reputation - and yet they hire me anyway."
[2] The last company I worked at before going independent consisted of 3 people. The owner/engineer and 2 software devs.
[3] "Develop a skill you can leverage": By that I mean, start to learn something that you want to work with and then find a place to work at that will let you really learn it. For example, suppose you want to work with the Internet Of Things stuff; get a development board and do an IOT project with something like C++ and leverage your existing skill set (Javascript, Web stuff). Then take that little bit of IOT stuff and try to get a job doing IOT and then maybe C++ embedded. Does that make sense?
