Thank you for your polite reply, I am very aware of all this. If you use like this to earn there or to win, this site is not recommended… As I try to explain all the time to others…Nowadays it is unfortunately difficult to imagine that you can also do your work simply out of passion without any expectations of money or anything else. I was just curious how this site works.
As I always say: Every single graphic designer must always ask himself is what I do of value? Why should the customers come to me?..If you answer this question exactly and act accordingly you will be very unlikely to be underpaid.
I know I’m not bitter. I just don’t care much about those sites as they are not on my radar.
(and I’m actually just wasting time waiting for my crew to show up for a really long install day…)
What is sad to see is any kind of experienced designer not only considering using those sites to ‘make money’ but also touting their usefulness. There are other sites, like Upwork, that might be a somewhat better experience. As for doing crowdcrap to fulfill a passion, there are better outlets. Unless the thrill of “winning” is the passion. To each their own. What you do in your spare time, isn’t any of my business.
What others do is really no one else’s business. There are definitely better ways to live out your passion - you’re absolutely right. Could you specify the better options here? That would be extremely helpful. Thanks
If you want to do ‘free work’ for something, find a good cause and donate your time. Any number of local organizations might need some creative input. But you may still be subject to a portfolio review and reference check. It’s all great to offer free time but no one wants the work of another Cecilia Giménez (or maybe they do. That has, sadly, become quite the tourist attraction.)
It’s another crowdsourcing site, but they don’t hold contests. Instead, clients post jobs, then freelancers apply for those jobs. The clients interview the freelancers and select one based on their fees, portfolios, experience, and interviews. Clients also have the option of sorting through portfolios and contacting the freelancers.
Freelancers do no work until a negotiated contract is agreed upon by both parties and the payment is guaranteed.
I experimented with Upwork three years ago when I was furloughed due to the pandemic. Most of the jobs are low-paying projects for lower-quality clients needing personal projects done, but it’s easy to weed them out. I got several good clients through Upwork that I’m still working with — even though I’ve significantly raised my fees and no longer use Upwork for anything. For various reasons, I can’t recommend Upwork, but I can’t recommend against them either.
For your purposes in using the crowdsourcing sites for practice, I’m not sure the difference between Upwork and the contest sites is relevant unless you want to practice negotiating directly with clients who hire you.