Hey,

I know what it's like to be a young web developer / designer looking for work. I think the best thing you can do during this time is work constantly to improve what you're doing.

In terms of general improvement, I suggest looking more at your typography, line-height, sizes, fonts etc. It'll really make your designs better.

Also, look into the use of negative space (whitespace) to give your designs room to improve.

In the beginning especially, break away from the grids and frameworks. Get the basics down and really learn the nuances of HTML and CSS. Work at it and you'll improve.

I suggest requesting an invite to Forrst, they've got some great people over there to give feedback.