Comment by ddorian43 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by ddorian43 | Hacker News Reader

ok I'll start:::

I work mostly on upwork projects. Located in AL(local jobs are EXTREMLY shitty). Started 2 years ago @10$/hour, currently @ 34$/hour. 62K last 2 years (only did fulltime ~8 months). Mostly backend, sometimes full-stack (no fancy angular though). After building a profile it's pretty easy to get new jobs. Nice if you live in cheap country.

Pros: Compared to local it's insanely better(local sucks). Better than a job I got in NL doing back-end-python for 42€. Better compared to a remote-job I got in Ireland for @20$/hour. Work from your toilet etc. Cool way to build portfolio. Sucks if you are in (expensive place to live) etc.

Cons: Ceiling is at about 40-50/hour so I'm getting out. Always be on the lookout outside (ex: went to final stages of job for 2.5x my income which I found on other site).

How to do it: Apply to small jobs and ask only for rating(they will still pay you). Get 5stars rating. Incrementally apply to bigger jobs by building your cv and successfully doing them all. Focus + be expert in an area (only way for humanity to advance).

I want from a job: great payment or free time to work on my stuff(strict 8 hours) or crazy stuff + getting smarter at work (don't have time to get smart on weekends). Hopefully it has them all (they exist!).

Just to clarify, AL = Albania, not Alabama (U.S. State) right?

I've heard contrary things about Upwork from people in the U.S. saying they didn't really land nice contracts until after they went above $50-$60/hr gigs. Not sure if it only works for people located in the U.S., but with your English skills, I doubt you'd run into the same issues as a lot of non-U.S. based devs.

Yes, AL the country. Some(many?) projects require your residence to be in US, which I don't have.

Of course projects get better and client treats/respects you better the more $ you get.

What I mean, if you go above certain $, then US/CA/AU is your only employer. EU is a cheap client. It's why they'll never have a "San Francisco" (other reasons being not homogen market + no investors).

ps: It's strange for people to mention 2-letter-country-codes with states and not countries.

Its actually very common in the United States to use 2 letter state codes. I think the other comment thought you meant Alabama as well because he asked if you had ever worked outside the United States.

I didn't realize the platform blocks you by location, but I guess that makes sense if that is what the customers want. Thanks for the explanation.

The platform doesn't block you by location, just discourages.

Thanks for responding and starting. Really great and detailed answer. Why do you think ceiling is at about 40-50$/hour? Have you ever worked from outside US? How does tax filing works? I have been thinking of moving to some good asian country (Thailand,Malaysia) and work remotely.

Because that's what I read from another developer that reached that ceiling since ~4 years on the site. And kinda hard for people to accept higher hourly rates there. I have never been to US (had clients from there). As with ~all online stuff you pay taxes at the country where you have your residence. Sometimes, they may hire you and the company pays the taxes locally (which is complex and happens rarely)

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