Contracting pros and cons

Hi all, I wanted to get your collective opinions and thoughts on taking contract jobs. I know a major downside is generally having to pay for health insurance out of pocket but I have that taken care of through my time in the military so it’s not really applicable in my situation.

Any advice on which jobs to get or avoid? Good practices for resume writing aimed at contract roles? Homelabs to do to help stand out?

I appreciate any and all advice, so far I’ve also heard taxes can be a bitch to keep track of so it’s easier to just pay someone to do them.