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Yeah I tried oDesk before, but I never got a job from that. It's demotivating to be competing with people from foreign countries that are willing to work for $3/hour. I get the sense that the employers on that site are looking for the cheapest hire, not the best hire. Maybe oDesk is completely different from typical agencies though.

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I sought out people on oDesk who charged much higher rates. Most anyone under $30/hour on there is really unlikely to be any good.

oDesk is really tough. You need to find ways to differentiate yourself from all-those-other-guys.

For starters, things like: - Having a higher rate ($100+) gives perceived value. - Calling yourself a software consulting vs. developer I've found to be a big deal. - Being able to nail down the expertise you have (or want to have) and articulating it in a sentence. For example: I specialize in rapid development of web and mobile apps with the first iteration delivered within two weeks.

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