Advice re Contract/freelance work?

[RobertInOntario]

As some of you know from a previous thread (<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=2346">viewtopic.php?f=29&t=2346</a><!-- l -->), I was terminated from my work in August. At first, this was a major shock and I was obviously quite shaken up.

However, the good news is that we have negotiated a fair severance package and I've also been hired back as a contract worker! So this will keep me going in terms of work and income for the next several months. I'm considering several options, ranging from full-time contract work, to finding an additional part-time job or full-time work, or some combination of the above. I'll be working from home for my freelance work, which will be good.

As a result, I've been on a crash course of sorts, learning all about taxes, how to set up a contract business, upgrading my Mac computer equipment, how to write contracts, upgrading my resumé, etc. So I've been busy many nights researching these topics and I miss working on my layout and running trains!

I'm pretty much overwhelmed with new info and -- because it's not urgent to resolve these issues right away -- I'm in the mood for taking a break in the near future, especially in the evenings, and hope to get back to the layout, etc.

Just thought I'd share this good news with folks here by sending out this update. I work in the graphic design / layout / print production field -- are there any other graphic design freelancers out there who could offer some advice? At the moment, I'm tired of thinking about work-related stuff so I've purposely not done much resumé or job research stuff tonight!

Thanks,
Rob