Contract Work or No Contract Work?

[John Cady <bing -at- UMICH -dot- EDU>]

I am trying to move into an entry level TW position after working in
another career (library work) for eight years. As I'm looking for
fulltime work, though, I would like to do some freelance.

What have been your experiences with contract or freelance work?
Is it plentiful?
Does it ever lead to fulltime work?
Do you have to go through an agency to get work?
I've heard a rumor or two that working with the agencies is risky. Are
they generally reliable, trustworthy, reverent and all that?

I've done some freelance user documentation work with a company, and I'm
doing an internship now with the university's computing center. I've got
html and DTP experience. Would I have enough experience to get contract work?

Thanks, you all have been very informative as I've looked in periodically
this last year. If this subject has already been dealt with ad nauseum,
feel free to whip me with a semi-colon.

Thanks in advance,

John Cady                                   A coconut can't really be called
Circulation Supervisor                      a nut because it's hairy. Hairy
U of Michigan Art & Arch Library            things are called mammals.

http://www.umich.edu/~bing/JohnCady.html