One of the fun things about being a freelancer is that it feels like a new job every week. One week I might be creating an animated Flash header for a major client's website; the next I might be doing a hokey little family referral job designing a cheesy graphical GIF animation for my Aunt Fannie's church bake sale forum - but one thing's for sure, I'm never bored. I also rarely have to worry about going on nerve-wracking interviews, wearing a suit and tie to work every day, or punching a timeclock (though keeping a spreadsheet of billable hours has its own pitfalls, as do self-employment taxes) - but that doesn't mean that I'm set in my career, or that I shouldn't always be ready to show myself off to a new client or be ready to jump into the world of the 9 to 5.

I keep a website with samples of animations, art, graphic designs, and functional templates of sites I've designed; I update my demo reel every six months and burn new CD copies; and I maintain a print portfolio constantly updated with prints of my best art, animation stills, and breakdowns of complex rendering techniques. Not only that, but I always have a few business cards on hand to make sure that any potential clients I meet while I'm out have my name, phone number, and website on hand. There are dozens of things that you can do to be ready for your animation career, whether you're just getting ready to start school, looking for your first job, or looking for a different job. Are you ready?

• Magna Cum Pixel: An Education in Animation
• Producing a Professional Printed Portfolio
• Preparing a Professional Demo Reel
• Staying Fresh: Keeping Yourself, Your Demo Reel, and Your Portfolio Up to Date
• Demo Reel Faux Paus
• So You Want to be a Computer Animator?
• A Realistic Look at Freelance Animation Work
• A New Animation Career for a New Year

Have you voted in this week's poll? What kind of computer do you use for your animations?