It helps to have a financial buffer. When I started freelancing in 2012, I could do so while keeping the unemployment benefits I got for getting fired in the ba

It helps to have a financial buffer. When I started freelancing in 2012, I could do so while keeping the unemployment benefits I got for getting fired in the bankruptcy of my last employer (they survived and actually had a healthy business, but they'd made some poor financial decisions driven by a bug in their home-made accounting system). I ended up not really going anywhere that first year, got a few minor gigs, but after a year I got approached by a recruiter for a bigger client, and that took off. I've been doing half-year to year-and-a-half projects for various large client, including a railway company and 4 banks. But I rely a lot on recruiters finding me on LinkedIn. I hate LinkedIn with its dark patterns, but it's where 90% of my work comes from, so I don't complain too hard.