Honestly it's been 1 week since I had my last work day but it feels like week 0 of me having space to re-evaluate life, my previous choices, and what I want to do next. I'll tell you know this type of post really is for myself, but I do hope that it helps anyone else that is job searching on savings. --- On my last full day I was telling people that I was going to catch up on sleep for awhile. That was a lie. lol I've been constantly moving...matter of fact I didn't even get to nap during the day until Friday. Anyway you are here for job searching so let's talk about it. The industry is in a weird place right now. Overall it's pretty hard finding a job in tech in a way I've never seen. More specific the govt contracting space is a bit in limbo. Oh...guess I should stop here and say this....if you have a problem with someone being in govt contracting then you should stop reading. That is the biggest industry in my area and I'm not going to be jobless. Ok back to what I was saying...not to be super political but with all the EOs going on and in general people not sure if they will get money for their contracts it's a strange time. If companies don't have the contract secure it makes it hard for them to hire people. So I've been really picky about trying to find a place that has funds secured and honestly I want to be a contractor. ## Woah...why a contractor? Glad you asked. I've been considering it for awhile. The con of contracting is that you don't get paid for the days you don't work. That's fine with me honestly because I want the flexibility. This space is already hard due to the rules around getting and maintaining a clearance. Those things aside I want to feel more in control of what I work on and for how long. 6mos here, 3mos there...all sounds super appealing. I also still get to keep insurance going through an agency. ## Will you contract on your own? Honestly I don't know. Maybe in the future but right now I'm focused on letting other people handle the paper work until I'm 100% sure I'm ready to take the leap again. I know I have marketable skills but from running my own business I know where my business weakness is and it's ok to want to lean on someone else to fill the gap. ## Anything else? I've been spending every day trying to figure out a good schedule. I have kept my work schedule over all but a good morning and night routine would make things even better. I also have been studying for certs (per usual) and that is going well. The space to really connect the dots has been amazing. I haven't had the mental space to do things like this in over a year. It was probably one of the worst parts of my last job. Anyway you might be wondering what I think will come from this "break"/moment in time...nothing. I'm in a space that I just want to have fun doing things that I like and I'm keeping that at the forefront of every choice I make now. I need to be able to travel especially on the weekends. If that's not possible then nothing will move forward. If getting that lifestyle means I have to work for myself or move then I'll figure it out. Right now everything looks good and I have faith that I'll be back in a job that's a better lifestyle fit within the next 1-2months.