The Online Freelancing Game

When all real job perspectives become too dull or merely unattainable, the logical next step, in a 21st century set scenario, is to engage into the vast world of freelancing.

With millions of worldwide projects in any imaginable and unimaginable field of activity, online freelancing is a tempting way to finance your dreams, while working in the comfort of your own home.

To make things seem even easier, the platform helps you set your account and choose your interests in no time, and voila!, you are officially ready to work. Now all you need is enough spare time to surf around (but since you probably don't have a real job, that shouldn't be of any concern).

What  becomes of massive concern however, as soon as you start bidding for jobs, is the amount of other eager freelancers that compete for the same jobs as you and their vast experience or dumping prices they are willing to work for, such as 2$/hour.

Now, as you may suspect, nobody was born an experienced freelancer, so even if it's a long way to the top, you gotta start rocking n rolling somewhere to get there.

In case you are still worried your chances to win that bid are too small, freelancing websites offer you the possibility to pay your way to the top and get highlighted (yep, you got that right, you pay to eventually...maybe get a job and get payed).

How does that work? Either you can opt for a monthly membership (that can range from 10$ to 200...-pardon me- 199.95$) or you can pay on the spot, the amount of money of your choice for an equivalent amount of promotional time.

As if that weren't enough, as a newbie, you are often likely to face the problem of "not enough XP (freelancer.com) or Connects (elance.com)". What does that mean? It usually means you cannot apply for jobs that require a certain amount of "XP or Connects"  or that you have a limited number of offers you can make.

This upgrading system resembles that of online gaming, where you need to constantly play and earn rewards and, as it is with free game apps, just when you think you are starting to get the hang of it, a pop-up reminds you that your free trial is over.

But, yet again, no need is artificially created without a well built appealing solution right around the corner. So when the going gets tough, the miraculous alternatives get going. One way to get that much needed experience is by taking a skills test (and if it is skills that you need in order to unlock more job opportunities, than you can be sure that they will not be granted for free, therefore, taking the test will require you to pay a small fee).

If skills are only a veteran's decoration to go along with your beautifully designed profile, then they'll probably be free of charge. However, they will not unlock more jobs,therefore, chances are you will still need to buy your way in through a membership.

After the whole ordeal of trying to actually do something and get paid,instead of paying to get a chance to get lucky, there is no guarantee whatsoever that things will go on smoothly between you and your employer (you can research some blogs about freelancing experiences for that and get some chills).

The only thing that is for sure, is that the online freelancing companies are bound to be on a win-win situation, either they seal you a deal or not.