No, I am not. That is the thing—it has been 7 years, and we are stuck in the same loop.
If I were to give your friend advice, it is to send a lot of warm emails. Joining a freelance marketplace is going to be brutal. Connect with folks in different communities, talk with them a bit, and then ask if they have any jobs. The success rate I would say is about 1 out of 50 to 70 outreaches.