Meta ads specialist (5 yrs, remote from India, $5k/mo) — is cold emailing US agencies/tech companies a realistic path to $10k/mo? Anyone done this?

I've been running Meta ads for a US-based agency for about 5 years now, working remotely from India. Currently at $5k/month, and I'm trying to figure out the smartest way to level up to $10k+/month.

My plan: cold email owners and CXOs of US marketing agencies and tech companies directly, asking if they have a role that fits me. I've heard tech companies pay significantly more for performance marketing roles than social media agencies do — can anyone confirm this from experience?

A few things about my situation:

- I only know Meta ads. No Google Ads. Is being a one-channel specialist a dealbreaker at the $10k level, or can deep expertise in one channel actually be an advantage?

- I have strong case studies with real numbers I can show.

- I've also built my own automation tools with Claude Code to fix reporting/workflow problems — so I bring some technical/AI skills on top of media buying.

My questions:

1. Is cold emailing decision-makers directly a legit way to land a job, or does it come off as desperate? Anyone here actually gotten hired this way?

2. Do tech companies really pay more than agencies for paid social roles, especially for remote workers from India?

3. Is $10k/mo remote realistic with my profile, or do I need to add Google/TikTok/etc. first?

Would love to hear from anyone who's made this jump. Thanks.