The working world, when it was male dominant, was 100x more fun to work in. Guys could "shoot-the-shit" with each other, say whatever they wanted and competitiveness was seen as fun not as "toxic". The work environment when it was male dominant made people better because the men would compete with one another and strive to improve. Work was actually a lot more "fun" and in some ways it was a "safe-space" for men to get away from all the drama and toxicity that existed in their personal lives.
Women have utterly destroyed the workplace. Men's lives are inarguably much worse with women in the workplace. Nothing good has come of this.
Pleasure.
If there's a particular domain you're especially skilled in, or one that you have a particular interest in, I'd have a look around and see if there are any smaller companies catering to it first. Certain industries are more likely to require bespoke solutions.
From there, maybe join an open source project or two. In many cases, "impressive" projects are beyond a single developer, or a realistic time frame. Collaboration is also great motivation, and if the project is successful, it's good exposure.