Upwork is like climbing an icy mountain

Matthew C · ‎08-03-2020

It's difficult enough just to find a small amount of reasonable work for reasonable pay, browsing project ads all day, paying for "connects" to keep bidding like a casino slot machine.

Add to that that you're competing with 20 other people for that same work.

Add to that that you're expected to wait around all day checking your e-mail when most clients never respond, but the few that do might get impatient that you didn't wait around all day just for them.

Add to that that you're "Job Success" score might be lowered by incompetent clients you settled for because you couldn't get a response from the good clients. So, now it's even less likely the good client will ever trust you.

It's a killer system you guys have here.

Mark F · ‎08-03-2020

I think your approach is less than ideal but I have seen you complain several times here and it’s not clear to me if you want to change or just complain.

Phyllis G · ‎08-03-2020

Matthew, you have gotten some excellent advice on other threads. Do yourself a favor and take it under advisement.

Meanwhile, I'll add my two cents' worth. As long as you submit bids like you're playing a slot machine, you're gonna get the same result and it will feel like the house wins every day. That's not really the case. UW wins when we win. The more we earn, the more UW earns. As Tonya already said, it's not a perfect system and I can't envision one that would perfectly serve the enormous range of FLs and clients who use it -- tiny to gigantic, in every field imaginable, spanning the globe. So it is what it is and each FL can decide whether it's a useful and profitable tool for their business and act accordingly.

Tonya P · ‎08-03-2020

Clients and freelancers are all human beings. Human beings are driven by self-interest. Clients will do what they believe to be in their self-interest as will every freelancer. There will always be those who bid low and those who pay low. Do what is in your self-interset.

Wes C · ‎08-03-2020

Matthew C wrote:

Add to that that you're "Job Success" score might be lowered by incompetent clients you settled for because you couldn't get a response from the good clients. So, now it's even less likely the good client will ever trust you.

If you settle for, as you said, "incompetent clients", you're just bringing the pain on yourself and you have no one to blame but yourself. You choose who to work with. No one is forcing you to work with anyone. If you don't land a gig with someone you think is worthy of working with, use the time for something else: training, improving your marketing, building your portfolio, etc.

Yes, it's hard. Yes, it takes time. But that's freelancing. Accept it and work with it, or find something else to do.