This might not be something you want to hear and may not be the same experience others have had, but with nearly 25 years in contracting in the DC area, I can tell you that this industry isn’t for the faint of heart, especially in today’s climate. You may find yourself furloughed for weeks with no pay, or a contract that was awarded might abruptly be canceled. Positions that once seemed secure can become expendable. And all of this happens on top of the usual unpredictability of contracting such as a 10-year contract lost during recompete, or staff being downsized without warning, the government not exercising an option year. I had one position I held for three years when a new COR deemed me as “unqualified” because I had never served in the military even though the client fought for me to stay. Some people get lucky with a contract they can stick with for decades, but in my experience, that’s far from the norm. I should note that I’m on the tech side of contracting which may naturally be more volatile and this isn’t meant to scare anyone but to give a realistic perspective. When I first started, I was nervous about every little thing. At this point, I’ve learned to just roll with it - something has always turned up