Finding some sort of appropriate work is the most difficult hurdle; in addition to long stretches when nothing is available, I get many possibilities that don;t really fit -- two hour commutes one way, work I am not suited for, low pay, companies that look at my resume and say no right away. Recruiters try to fit me into places where I don't fit well, so a lot of things die before they really get started.
Next hurdle is the interview. My last two interviews went well enough, even though I only got one of the jobs, so I don't hate all interviewers and the whole interview process quite as much as I did a few weeks ago, but if nothing else most potential clients interview two to four people, so the odds are not great even with a decent interview.
Next hurdle starts tomorrow: getting up to speed as quickly as possible. I have not yet tripped over this barrier in five assignments, but I approach new contracts with some trepidation, because it's hard to be sure that I will understand what needs to be done and have the skills to do it until I see the work. Once I get settled, I'm pretty safe, but I always feel there is a possibility that the client will give up on me before I figure things out.
On one of my five jobs, I had a hard time understanding what needed to be done, and it was really frustrating. The client was just awful at explaining the work, and I was worried that they would stop paying me for not really making any progress. Fortunately, I got it after about a week of flailing, and after that I was fine.
So tomorrow is my first day of work in six months, and the mission is clear: figure it out and start being useful as quickly as possible.
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