Don’t be afraid to take chances. Be vulnerable. Find success in failure. Laugh. Stay healthy.
Know your worth, but be humble. Never stop learning. Remember your roots.
Reminding myself that all problems are solvable, shifts my state of mind into curiosity and creativity and problem-solving.
Number one, be passionate about it, but number two, don't let it take over your life, don't let it consume you.
No matter where you are right now, nothing is permanent. Everything is temporary.
There's something out there for anyone interested in tech, it's about understanding our strengths
I hit a million dollars on Upwork. That was big to see it change on my profile to say “Over $1M earned”.
It's a tool, just like any other, and so we have the choice on how we wield it and how it affects our lives.
You just need to be consistent in your efforts and you shall prevail!
I decided to build my own business, I officially built my animation studio in February 2017.
I realized I wouldn't have come this far if I had waited to have all I needed before starting. But I dared to try.
Worked my way up starting as temp tech-support to operations manager over the course of 2 years.
For me, the ability to work in varying locations or step outside with my dog when I need to clear my head is huge.
One of the things that I feel very excited about is when a product or service is done well.
Always advocate for your work and make sure that others understand how it impacts them.
Don’t let comparison steal the satisfaction of your own life and know that perfection can be the biggest enemy of progress.
Ignore your inner saboteur. Don’t let negative self-talk impede your progress.
You have to be consistent, keep trying, keep trying and keep trying. Quality matters.
Your business will only grow as you have the capacity and professionalism to manage that business.
Since everyone’s path to professional success is different, we are building a growing resource of c
Since everyone’s path to professional success is different, we are building a growing resource of career stories to showcase the routes people have taken to get to where they are in their career. Career CloseUp will house those stories, as well as provide resources and guidance for seasoned professionals, those just starting their journey–and everything in between.
Your career path story is meant to capture your personal, professional career journey in a story-es
Your career path story is meant to capture your personal, professional career journey in a story-esque format. It’s, essentially, a narrative of the path you took to get to where you are in your professional journey.
Stories are the best way to communicate our experiences and inspire human connection with others. W
Stories are the best way to communicate our experiences and inspire human connection with others. With the stories on Career CloseUp, we aim to:
Whether you’re a freelancer, full-timer, business owner–or anything in between–we are accepting car
Whether you’re a freelancer, full-timer, business owner–or anything in between–we are accepting career path stories from all humans! (Pets and others’ are currently TBD).
There are a number of philanthropic reasons why sharing your story makes sense. Since a lot of thes
There are a number of philanthropic reasons why sharing your story makes sense. Since a lot of these reasons are probably known to you, here are just a few additional points to keep in mind when asking yourself why you would share your career path story.
Inspire
Connect
Promote
By contributing your story, you have the ability to link to your personal portfolio or website.
Even if you are a contributor outside of Upwork, you can still link to a personal portfolio, examples of your work, ect.
If you don’t have your career story ready to share, we have story templates available, guidelines a
If you don’t have your career story ready to share, we have story templates available, guidelines and best practices, as well as 15 minute interview-style meetings available through Calendly,
Subscriptions let you get email updates whenever new content appears in an area of the community th
Subscriptions let you get email updates whenever new content appears in an area of the community that you're interested in. You can subscribe to receive all career stories, all stats and trends, industry-focused career stories and industry specific state and trends. For more information on subscribing and unsubscribing check out this Help section.
Stories are shared through Upwork’s Community, social profiles, and newsletters. We also will occas
Stories are shared through Upwork’s Community, social profiles, and newsletters. We also will occasionally feature trending career stories throughout Upwork websites as well!
1. Submit your story via the Career Story Submission page or email it to communitycareer@upwork.com .
1. Submit your story via the Career Story Submission page or email it to communitycareer@upwork.com . If sending via email, you will need to access the Contributor Agreement and agree to let us share your story.
You can submit your story in your desired format by attaching and uploading it to the Career Story Submission Doc (fig. 1) or by sharing a link to your story by copying and pasting it. (fig. 2)
2. Your submission will be screened to determine if it meets the basic criteria above.
3. We’ll email you with a status. Should small revisions be required, we will let you know how to address them before your story is published.
No matter which format you choose to share your story in, please keep in mind that your story will be posted “as is,” with a light review of the content to ensure nothing violates the Community Standards or Terms and Conditions. We encourage you to take a moment and review the Community Contributor Agreement in full.
See…it’s as simple as that!
We’re so happy you are sharing your journey! Your story is already magical because it’s about you
We’re so happy you are sharing your journey! Your story is already magical because it’s about you, but let’s get through some rules, so we can move on to the fun tools. Don’t worry–it’s pretty simple, and there will not be a quiz at the end.
Basic Guidelines
Your story will be published (here) and become part of our growing library of career paths.
Your story will be posted “as is.” *
But don’t worry, if you need a little extra help proofreading, formatting, editing, etc.–there is a whole team of top-notch Upwork editors working behind the scenes, ready to help.
*If your story is in a video format, we will edit it to include a title card.
Please keep in mind that we won’t be able to accept your story submission if it includes:
A topic unrelated to your career path.
Legal advice or legal topics. (Tax advice, business compliance, incorporation advice, etc.)
Submissions that violate the Community Guidelines or Upwork Terms of Service.
The presence of any prejudiced statements based on, but not limited to, the list below would result in immediate rejection:
Race
Color
Religion or creed
National origin or ancestry
Sex (including gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity).
Age
Physical or mental disability
Veteran status
Genetic information
Citizenship
Submissions with any of the above violations are not eligible for revisions.
Story Contributors–(that’s you!)
We are accepting career path stories from all humans. (Pets are currently TBD).
Already an Upwork member? (Hi friend!)
We ask that you be active and in good standing with the Upwork platform.
With your story, we can include a link to your Upwork profile or your project catalog.
Not yet a member of Upwork? (What are you waiting for? Join us, we have cookies.)
With your story submission, please provide a link to your LinkedIn profile, website, or any available professional resource to showcase your success.
If you’d like to link your professional profile, portfolio, or examples of your work to your story, please let us know, and we’d be happy to showcase those with your story.
Story Structure
There is no required structure for your story submission; just like in life, we all carve out a different path, but please keep in mind the topic is your career journey and the path you took to get to where you are.
Story Submission Process (Easy as 1, 2, 3)
Submit your story via the Career Story Submission page or email it to communitycareer@upwork.com If sending via email, you will need to access the Contributor Agreement and agree to let us share your story.
You can submit your story in your desired format by attaching and uploading it to the Career Story Submission Doc (fig. 1) or by sharing a link to your story by copying and pasting it. (fig. 2)
Your submission will be screened to determine if it meets the basic criteria above.
We’ll email you with a status. Should small revisions be required, we will let you know how to address them before your story is published.
No matter which format you choose to share your story in, please keep in mind that your story will be posted “as is,” with a light review of the content to ensure nothing violates the Community Standards or Terms and Conditions. We encourage you to take a moment and review the Community Contributor Agreement in full.
See…it’s as simple as that!
Now, on to some fun tools based on your chosen story format.
Story Formats and Best Practices
Your career path story is yours, and yours alone, and we want you to be able to share it in the format that is most comfortable for you.
The following formats are currently supported: Video, Audio-Only, Text Document, Graphics/Visual, Animated, Webinar/Meeting, SlideShare/PowerPoint Deck, and Interview.
Video Best Practices
Recommended recording devices
HD Camcorders
Webcam
Digital DSLR Camera with video capabilities
iPhone or similar up-to-date mobile device
Pro tip: You can use your phone to capture professional video footage – the quality is usually the same and oftentimes much better than other options. But there are a few things to keep in mind if you’re going to use your phone to create your video:
Use the camera on the back of your phone.
Record in landscape mode (that is, horizontally instead of vertically).
If your phone has a feature that allows you to overlay a grid on your screen, use it.
Choose a quiet space
Shoot your story somewhere indoors, preferably without other conversations in the vicinity or background noise.
Let anyone who you share a household or office with know that you are recording.
Before you start recording, close any programs on your computer and phone that might send you noisy notifications or annoying pop-ups.
Lighting
Set yourself up to be in a well-lit area with the light source somewhere behind the recording device.
Turn on your camera and adjust your placement to ensure you have sufficient light.
Adjust your position if you need to find an arrangement that shines light on your face, rather than backlighting you.
Recording Tips
Clean the lens on your camera before recording the video.
If you’re using a phone, stabilize it by propping it up or using a phone tripod.
Film in landscape (horizontally) and position your camera at about eye level.
Audio
If you are filming this with a mobile device, and do not have access to a microphone setup, we recommend using earbuds with mic/mouthpiece, or headphones with a mic included.
If you use your phone's or camera's internal mic, be sure to speak loud enough to pick up decent sound.
Submitting
Make sure to review your story. We review them, but your story will be posted as-is, and we want your story to shine–just like you!
Remember to take your time, be yourself, and speak from the heart. We know you’ll do great!
Please submit in .mp4.
Audio Best Practices
On an iPhone or iPad
You can record audio easily in a couple of ways on your iPhone or iPad:
Voice Memos app
Pages,
Numbers
Keynote document
On an Android
Most newer Android phones have a voice recorder or voice memo app installed.
Find and open the app on your Android phone and press on record to get started.
On Windows
Voice Recorder comes installed on Windows 10 and newer, but if you don’t have it, then it can be downloaded online.
On Zoom
Log in to the Zoom application as you normally would.
Click the gear icon to open Settings.
Click on the Audio tab and select:
Low-Under Suppress background noise
Show Option-to enable Original Sound
Select High-fidelity music mode
Under Recording, select Record a separate audio file of each participant.
Microphone for Recording
You can record audio with the built-in microphone on your iPhone or iPad, a wired or Bluetooth headset, or a compatible microphone.
The microphone built-in on your device, the one from a webcam, or any microphone will do just fine for basic recording.
Headphones with a built-in mic, like the kind that comes with many smartphones, are an easy way to record quality audio without having to spend on extra equipment. If you own a smartphone, you probably have a pair of these stored somewhere.
Recording From Your Phone
Here are just a few of the tips and tricks we’ve learned along the way (mostly the hard way) so you don’t have to!
Most microphones that are built into your smartphone are located on the back of the phone, near the bottom of the phone.
If you’re holding the smartphone, make sure your hand isn’t covering that mic area.
Switch on your phone’s “Airplane Mode” before you record, that way you won’t be interrupted by a call or notifications while you’re trying to record.
After you’re done recording on your phone, you can transfer a short recording to yourself simply by emailing it to yourself. For longer recordings, you might want to try connecting your phone to your computer via a cable to transfer the file.
Your Atmosphere for Recording
You don’t want to make it all the way through your recording and play it back only to realize that your audio captured your neighbor’s car alarm or your housemate's entire smoothie making process.
Make sure to let those around you know that you will be recording. (Yes, that even means having a one-on-one with your fur baby to beg for their cooperation during this recording process.)
Try to find a quiet place, with doors and windows closed and other electronics off.
Common audio-mishap offenders are:
Fans
Refrigerators
Furnaces
Housemates
Cars
Phones and other electronics
Open windows
Fur-babies
Babies in general
Interview Best Practices
If you would like to use an interview-style format to share your career story, either through our Calendly or simply as your preferred format, here are a few best practices to keep in mind:
All parties should mute sounds from their computer, such as Slack notifications.
All cameras should remain as still as possible and not be moved once the session has begun.
There shouldn’t be anyone in the background of either participant, if possible.
All parties should center themselves in front of their cameras.
Blog Post, PowerPoint, Animated Video Best Practices
Blog Post
It’s best to send your story in .doc or Google doc format.
Currently, we're only accepting written posts in English, but we are excited to expand our submissions to other languages in Q1 2023.
SlideShare/PowerPoint Deck
To share your SlideShare file:
Navigate to the individual SlideShare presentation.
Click the Share button in the bottom left of the player.
Share it with us using the upload function located on the Career Story Submission Doc or copy and paste the link in the section of the Doc. (See figure 1 and 2 above for a visual).
To share your PowerPoint presentation:
Navigate to the PowerPoint presentation.
Locate the Share button. (Recent versions of PowerPoint will include a Share button in the upper right corner of the ribbon).
Share it with us using the upload function located on the Career Story Submission Doc or copy and paste the link in the section of the Doc. (See figure 1 and 2 above for a visual).
Animated Story
So you made an animated story about your career path? First of all, that’s amazing, and you are the best.
Send it on over using the attachment or copy and paste options on the Career Story Submission Doc (see figure 1 and 2 above).
If you would like to share your story in a format that is not listed here, please let us know by emailing communitycareer@upwork.com.
Once you submit your story using the Google Doc submission form, you will receive an email in 5 to
Once you submit your story using the Google Doc submission form, you will receive an email in 5 to 7 business days to update you on the status of your submission.
Once your story has been reviewed and is ready to be published, you will receive an email.
We know you’re excited to share your story with the world and we are too! Once you submit your stor
We know you’re excited to share your story with the world and we are too! Once you submit your story, we will review it to ensure it meets the guidelines and you will receive a status update via email. As a general rule: stories are reviewed on Monday and status updates are sent Thursdays.
Currently, your story can be submitted in the following formats. (For a more in-depth look at suppo
Currently, your story can be submitted in the following formats. (For a more in-depth look at supported formats, please view the Story Submission Guidelines )
Audio-only, video, text document, visual/animated story, slideshare/powerpoint deck, webinars, event recordings, and interviews.
Yes! We’re happy to include a link to your Upwork profile, your project catalog, or portfolio.
If y
Yes! We’re happy to include a link to your Upwork profile, your project catalog, or portfolio.
If you’d like to link your professional profile, portfolio, or examples of your work from outside Upwork then please let us know on the submission page.
Yes! And in fact, we encourage you to do so!
Why not! As long as you own the rights to the content, we are happy to republish your work, we'll j
Why not! As long as you own the rights to the content, we are happy to republish your work, we'll just need a link to the original publication to include when we publish.
We understand that your story is yours to tell and we do not want to put restrictions on it. Howeve
We understand that your story is yours to tell and we do not want to put restrictions on it. However, stories containing things that go against the Community Guidelines and Upwork’s Terms of Use will not be considered for publication. Please review the links provided above for further clarification.
No. (Don’t worry we’re not mad…we’re just disappointed.)
Yes! We encourage you to share your story anywhere your heart desires, please don’t forget to inclu
Yes! We encourage you to share your story anywhere your heart desires, please don’t forget to include a link back to your story on the Upwork Career Catalog though.
We think it is important for your story to be told in the manner you'd like! For SEO reasons, we as
We think it is important for your story to be told in the manner you'd like! For SEO reasons, we ask that, if you do post your story to your website, you link back to the original post in Career CloseUp. We encourage you to share, embed, and link back to your story as much as you'd like!
You may already know this, but Zoom can be an easy tool to quickly record your screen and audio. Al
You may already know this, but Zoom can be an easy tool to quickly record your screen and audio. All you need is the Zoom Meetings Client, a microphone, and these instructions–and you’re ready to go!
1. Open Zoom and log in.
2. Start a new Zoom meeting. Make sure the audio and video are set to your preference, also make sure the audio is unmuted, and the video is started.
3. Click the Record button on the control bar at the bottom of the screen.
4. You will see a Recording message displayed in the upper left corner of the screen. You can pause or stop your recording by clicking the Pause or Stop icons displayed next to the Recording message.
5. When you are done recording, click the Stop Recording button and then End Meeting for All. After you are finished with your recording, access your profile account and click on Recordings. You will see a list of recordings that you started and have finished processing.
We encourage you to take a moment and review the Contributor Agreement in full. It's important to r
We encourage you to take a moment and review the Contributor Agreement in full. It's important to remember when submitting your story you are also agreeing to these Terms and Conditions.
Of course - changes are welcome. Please note, we will do our best to accommodate changes but it may
Of course - changes are welcome. Please note, we will do our best to accommodate changes but it may take up to 7 business days to be updated.
Of course, if you feel that you need to withdraw your story for any reason after it has been publis
Of course, if you feel that you need to withdraw your story for any reason after it has been published, please just let us know and if you could, include a reason for the withdrawal so that we can either remedy the situation or use your feedback to support future story sharers.
Yes! This is a growing resource of stories and support.
Please visit our general FAQ page or send an email to communitycareer@upwork.com