careful. How ready your existing contacts are to put freelance assignments your way is an invaluable clue as to how marketable your skills are. To some extent you should know from your own experience what the demand is for freelancers in your chosen sphere. For instance, if you are a technical illustrator, you ought to be aware of whether there are enough technical publishers who employ outsiders rather than in-house staff and, if so, what the rates of pay are. If the demand is strong or rising, how successful you are likely to be depends on your own skill and speed. The question of your own ability is one that has to be faced in considering your chances. Freelancing is not an easy option for those who cannot hold down a job on grounds of competence. You have to be good at what you do to freelance successfully because the client will turn to someone else if you are not.