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cherylforziati
Community Member

Is it worth it to be on Upwork as a US Graphic Designer?

Hi - I'm on the fence on Joining upwork -- is it worth it? What has been your experience? I'm afraid that designers in the US just can't compete with offshore pricing. 

 

Do you submit a million proposals before getting any gigs?

 

Please share any insight you have and thanks in advance!

3 REPLIES 3
wescowley
Community Member

I'm not a graphic designer, but I imagine these observations apply generally.  

 

There are really two levels of competition here. There will always be clients who feel that price is everything, and there will always be freelancers who are willing to bid low enough to win those clients. Then, there are clients who realize that professional, quality work comes at a professional price. That's where you will be competing, and it's absolutely possible to be successful at that level.

 

It can take a while to get started here. The vast majority of people who join never land a first contract. But there are many that get a contract within days or weeks and never slow down from there. My opinion: it largely depends on how much of a professional background you can present on your profile and in your proposals until you start building up your experience on the platform and how willing you are to put in the effort and money to make it happen. By money, I mean the cost of buying connects, which you'll need to submit proposals. The more successful you are here, the more that cost fades into the background.

 

Good luck.


Wes C wrote:

I'm not a graphic designer, but I imagine these observations apply generally.  

 

There are really two levels of competition here. There will always be clients who feel that price is everything, and there will always be freelancers who are willing to bid low enough to win those clients. Then, there are clients who realize that professional, quality work comes at a professional price. That's where you will be competing, and it's absolutely possible to be successful at that level.

 

It can take a while to get started here. The vast majority of people who join never land a first contract. But there are many that get a contract within days or weeks and never slow down from there. My opinion: it largely depends on how much of a professional background you can present on your profile and in your proposals until you start building up your experience on the platform and how willing you are to put in the effort and money to make it happen. By money, I mean the cost of buying connects, which you'll need to submit proposals. The more successful you are here, the more that cost fades into the background.

 

Good luck.


I was going to give my own response, but Wes sums it up perfectly. It really depends on your niche and who your target  market is going to be.   Like with any business, start up costs can seem exorbitant at times, but as you find success, it won't matter as much.  I think the general expectation is about 1 month to get the first gig. And definitely read up around the forums on best practices for choosing clients, because it's all about choosing the right jobs to apply to and not wasting your time on jobs that either pay too little, have unreasonable clients, or both. 

robin_hyman
Community Member


Cheryl F wrote:

Hi - I'm on the fence on Joining upwork -- is it worth it? What has been your experience? I'm afraid that designers in the US just can't compete with offshore pricing. 

 

Do you submit a million proposals before getting any gigs?

 

Please share any insight you have and thanks in advance!


Have you checked the profiles of other US-based designers?  I suggest you do.  Pay attention to those who are top rated.  Take a look at jobs in progress and recently completed.  If public, review how much they have made in the past month.  If it seems worth it to you (assuming you are paying anywhere from $.15 to $.90 to apply to every job), take a shot.  

 

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