I've freelanced and contracted for about 10 years before the 2.5 years time of no work. When I had work, it didn't do so well for me. Barely made good income, and it's so much freedom, to a fault. No safety nets. You need to be especially proactive to make it work for you, more than a regular job.

I did the bare minimum. I was picking off contract gigs for small business, and for below body shop prices. The most I ever made in one year was $50k. In my worst years I made under $10k.

It also turned me into an "expert beginner" because I worked in isolation, I was still living in the now, and my clients have been small with little to no exposure to a strong technical culture.

You need a lot of hustling and "working your network" to rise above that. At this point, it's killed my drive and want to go back to the relative safety of FT work.