In this video I go through Ben Zager’s article on finding success as a game development contractor, and I basically translate it into real-world “okay but how do you actually survive freelancing?” advice. We talk about why companies hire contractors (short-term needs, specific skills, sometimes just cost/taxes), and the big obvious-but-true rule: you need to bring clear value. That can be a niche specialty (Unreal, engine-level experience, shaders, tools), or it can be being a solid generalist who’s professional and easy to work with—generalists can be insanely effective once you’re in the door, you just have to market it correctly. Then I get into the unsexy part: getting clients, getting paid, and protecting yourself. Negotiating, invoicing, and chasing payments is basically a part-time job. I talk about red flags (like people refusing contracts), why you should care about payment dates/terms, and how a lot of contract work never sees the light of day (and sometimes you can’t even use it in a portfolio). We also hit networking realities: industry connections matter, Discord can be legit (like Unreal Source), and LinkedIn… yeah, I’m not a fan. Finally, I share my own take on avoiding burnout: keep a side project, track what you did, document everything, and build a workflow that actually fits how your brain works.