How I made my first $3K on Upwork

T

tademusk

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Honestly, when I first joined Upwork, I thought getting the first client would be the hardest part.

Turns out… getting the second client is also hard

But somehow I managed to cross $3K, mostly doing backend stuff with Python, Django, FastAPI, and a little AI integration.

The funny thing is, most of the jobs I applied for were jobs where I wasn't 100% sure I could do everything they asked for. I just thought, "Yeah, I can figure this out."

Curious about other freelancers here:

What was your first $1K like? And how long did it take you?
 
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I have not a single cent on upwork since I joined in 2024, the competition is now hefty to the point some people boost proposal with over 500 connect
 
Anson2008 said:
Anson2008 said:
I have not a single cent on upwork since I joined in 2024, the competition is now hefty to the point some people boost proposal with over 500 connect
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Yeah bro, I feel you. The competition is honestly crazy now.

I also had a pretty slow start on. I think timing, profile, and applying to the right jobs makes a difference. But getting that first client is definitely the hardest part.

Hope you get your first one soon bro
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Anson2008 said:
I have not a single cent on upwork since I joined in 2024, the competition is now hefty to the point some people boost proposal with over 500 connect
Click to expand...
Same with me I have joined it this month applied to 25-30 jobs got 3-4 interviews replied them what they asked for then they ghosted me although I had a strong portfolio and one of them got interested by seeing my portfoliop pdf
 
thats actually one of the biggest lessons with upwork imo

you dont need to match every single requirement in the post. if you understand the main problem and can show them how you'd solve it, thats usually more valuable than ticking 10/10 skills.

first few jobs are the hardest though. once you have reviews and some earnings behind the profile it gets a lot easier.
 
spaciousabhi said:
thats actually one of the biggest lessons with upwork imo

you dont need to match every single requirement in the post. if you understand the main problem and can show them how you'd solve it, thats usually more valuable than ticking 10/10 skills.

first few jobs are the hardest though. once you have reviews and some earnings behind the profile it gets a lot easier.
Click to expand...
I think upwork is no longer fair because there's almost zero chance for new freelancer because the big boys will boost the proposal to the point that you can't even compete anymore
 
Narrowing the profile to one niche helped more than applying wide, 25 to 30 proposals that read the same look the same to the client.
 
Ghosting after the interview usually stopped for me once I sent a short plan for their exact problem before the call, not a generic pitch.
 
What changed the most after you landed the first client: your proposal style, the jobs you applied to, or how you handled the interview? Since you reached $3K mostly with backend work, it would be useful to know what actually improved your win rate after that first contract.
 
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