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f5406d10
Community Member

What were your reasons to use Upwork?

I'm wondering what reasons you had when you decide to use UpWork.. (for freelancers and hiring people)

10 REPLIES 10
florydev
Community Member

For me it was actually desperation.  I had a few clients but the projects were wrapping up and I had something like 4-5 good prospects and inside of a week all of them went kaput.  Then I had another the same week popup with an existing client and died by the end of the week.  I was left with nothing and for months I struggled on with that nothing.

 

I had thought, at the time, I had mined all the veins I had and the party was over.  I knew Upwork was out there but I had used one of it's predecessors from a client perspective and had a pretty low opinion of that.  Honestly, I just couldn't see competing with people who are willing to sell themselves totally short.

 

A guy I followed on Quora posted something about finding work from here and I messaged him and asked him what he thought and basically he said "might as well give it a try."  So I did...and the rest is basically history.

My contract as a columnist for a partwork was coming to an end (a year's contract that actually lasted three) and I needed something else. But it was as much about diversification as desperation - almost all my writing was in the same area and it was getting boring.

I came to Upwork to find work out of my geographic area, which didn't really support freelancers in my field.  I also liked the fact that I wouldn't have to chase clients for payment.  I don't like face-to-face interviews because I always cave and take the job.  With Upwork, I can take the time to think it over, ask questions, and then decide if it's a good fit.

 

ETA  - in the bricks and mortar world, my age works against me.  In freelancing, it doesn't matter how old I am as long as I do a great job.  What a relief!


Mark F wrote:

For me it was actually desperation.  I had a few clients but the projects were wrapping up and I had something like 4-5 good prospects and inside of a week all of them went kaput.  Then I had another the same week popup with an existing client and died by the end of the week.  I was left with nothing and for months I struggled on with that nothing.

 

I had thought, at the time, I had mined all the veins I had and the party was over.  I knew Upwork was out there but I had used one of it's predecessors from a client perspective and had a pretty low opinion of that.  Honestly, I just couldn't see competing with people who are willing to sell themselves totally short.

 

A guy I followed on Quora posted something about finding work from here and I messaged him and asked him what he thought and basically he said "might as well give it a try."  So I did...and the rest is basically history.


Plus who could have ever known that you would rule the bunch for some glorious, unforgotten months! Life is truly a miracle, my friend. I miss the green head. 


Martina P wrote:

Mark F wrote:

For me it was actually desperation.  I had a few clients but the projects were wrapping up and I had something like 4-5 good prospects and inside of a week all of them went kaput.  Then I had another the same week popup with an existing client and died by the end of the week.  I was left with nothing and for months I struggled on with that nothing.

 

I had thought, at the time, I had mined all the veins I had and the party was over.  I knew Upwork was out there but I had used one of it's predecessors from a client perspective and had a pretty low opinion of that.  Honestly, I just couldn't see competing with people who are willing to sell themselves totally short.

 

A guy I followed on Quora posted something about finding work from here and I messaged him and asked him what he thought and basically he said "might as well give it a try."  So I did...and the rest is basically history.


Plus who could have ever known that you would rule the bunch for some glorious, unforgotten months! Life is truly a miracle, my friend. I miss the green head. 


As soon as they deposed me they turned the whole thing into a mockery.  Now, they pass it out to any pretender who strolls by.


Mark F wrote:

Martina P wrote:

Mark F wrote:

For me it was actually desperation.  I had a few clients but the projects were wrapping up and I had something like 4-5 good prospects and inside of a week all of them went kaput.  Then I had another the same week popup with an existing client and died by the end of the week.  I was left with nothing and for months I struggled on with that nothing.

 

I had thought, at the time, I had mined all the veins I had and the party was over.  I knew Upwork was out there but I had used one of it's predecessors from a client perspective and had a pretty low opinion of that.  Honestly, I just couldn't see competing with people who are willing to sell themselves totally short.

 

A guy I followed on Quora posted something about finding work from here and I messaged him and asked him what he thought and basically he said "might as well give it a try."  So I did...and the rest is basically history.


Plus who could have ever known that you would rule the bunch for some glorious, unforgotten months! Life is truly a miracle, my friend. I miss the green head. 


As soon as they deposed me they turned the whole thing into a mockery.  Now, they pass it out to any pretender who strolls by.


I know! When you ruled, at least it meant something. Don't tell me you had to return the ermine coat too? Ah, sad times. 

lysis10
Community Member


Mark F wrote:

Martina P wrote:

Mark F wrote:

For me it was actually desperation.  I had a few clients but the projects were wrapping up and I had something like 4-5 good prospects and inside of a week all of them went kaput.  Then I had another the same week popup with an existing client and died by the end of the week.  I was left with nothing and for months I struggled on with that nothing.

 

I had thought, at the time, I had mined all the veins I had and the party was over.  I knew Upwork was out there but I had used one of it's predecessors from a client perspective and had a pretty low opinion of that.  Honestly, I just couldn't see competing with people who are willing to sell themselves totally short.

 

A guy I followed on Quora posted something about finding work from here and I messaged him and asked him what he thought and basically he said "might as well give it a try."  So I did...and the rest is basically history.


Plus who could have ever known that you would rule the bunch for some glorious, unforgotten months! Life is truly a miracle, my friend. I miss the green head. 


As soon as they deposed me they turned the whole thing into a mockery.  Now, they pass it out to any pretender who strolls by.


The usurper!

astepanov83
Community Member

It was November 2014. My wife was pregnant. Two weeks before that, I had gotten a mortgage. I had to pay more than a half of my salary, although it was pretty high. Still, I felt that my income would not be increased much during the next several years. Econ problems caused all the exported goods to be much more expensive, than just a year before. The mortgage itself was kind of daunting.

 

So, I googled and stumbled upon Odesk. That was a pivotial point in many senses.

 

I was another desperate soul looking for an income.

I found myself in Thailand with no job and a wife and kid. I dreaded the thought of having to leave those behind to get work in the UK, but the job market in Thailand is so competitive for foreigners that I was barely getting a look-in. 

I applied for a job as a writer with a local SEO agency, not expected to get it, but ended up surprising myself. Then I found Upwork when I was looking for more writing work. I didn't think of it as a main gig to begin with, more just something to fall back on. That was until I realised I was undercharging and raised my rates to a point where it became a reasonable and steady income. 

I hate to think where I might be now had I not applied to that initial writing job (I very nearly didn't thinking it would be a waste of time)

I'd been out of work for a long time (voluntarily), needed to start earning again, was pretty much unemployable, and was trying to get a local freelance business going, with limited success. I'd recently done an online course in web development, and someone on that course mentioned that she'd used Upwork. So I thought I'd give it a try,  though I was skeptical about it. It took a month to get my first job,  and I probably would have given up before that if it hadn't been for reading about successful freelancers in this forum. So thanks to all you forumites who kept me going! 

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