Let’s try it again.

If you rely on job boards and bidding sites, no, the work is not there.

If you do the extra legwork up front, find places that actually interest you and convince them they can’t live without you, you land better assignments, both on a creative level and a pay level.

I constantly land jobs out of my comfort zone. I enjoy it, because I get to learn. I’m lucky in that I have a fast learning curve. Last year, I had two weeks to go from not knowing anything about sailing to covering the America’s Cup. So what did I do? Went to Newport, talked to people, got my hands on former Cup boats, the whole thing.

My outsider’s perspective meant that I could objectively comment on the internal politics and silliness I witnessed; I’d also learned enough about how the actual boats work to communicate it effectively in my coverage — the beauty, the skill, etc.

I think the worst trap most freelancers fall into is this branding and specialization crap.

By NOT specializing, I get much more interesting and varied assignments, and I make decent money. I’m not rich, but I’m happy. And each month, the finances improve.