oDesk Review

We’ve all been introduced to the hype and scams of work at home opportunities, ranging from selling products to pyramid schemes, recruiting people for something you’re not even sure of exactly what it is, and having to shell out $50 to $1,000 to even get started, plus a monthly fee to maintain access, etc. So if you’re looking for a job or an opportunity, what makes these jokers think that you can even AFFORD to invest hundreds or thousands of dollars into a so-called business? If you were already making money, why would you be looking for work?

I spent years looking for real work at home opportunities, some of them offering specials like paying the $4 or $5 shipping only for the introduction (only to find out it really doesn’t contain any information except where to purchase this supposed step-by-step, fool-proof way to make money online… which incidentally costs several hundred dollars ). Some of them tell you only so much, just enough to entice you and make it sound like it can’t fail, and when you try it out it’s so complicated you can’t even wrap your head around half of it. And coming from me, that’s pretty bad – I consider myself a fairly intelligent person, college-educated, and business-minded.

Since the journey began, I’ve tried everything from selling Avon to HerbaLife to SMC to various so-called data entry positions, etc. Meanwhile, I was thinking the entire time, why am I paying for all this junk? I need a JOB! Not some scam to get my money and that isn’t really working from home. The internet is HUGE… there HAS to be some way to make money online, a legitimate and honest way of making money without having to sell a bunch of stuff to friends and family or feel like a schmuck for buying into some scam.

So what is it?

Freelance.

The freelance market and companies outsourcing work is a booming business in and of itself, and there are many ways to earn money online even if all you know how to do is transcription or data entry. If you have a phone, you can also offer customer service remotely – usually the companies outsourcing this kind of work will train you. Now, I’ve known about freelancing for quite some time, but was never able to make it work for me due to lack of resources… or at least knowledge of said resources. That is until a couple of months ago.

I had found a freelance exchange web site years ago that I thought was intriguing, and though I applied to a couple of jobs on the site and never got any, it stayed with me over the years and my profile has been there for ages. I decided to give it another try, and was amazed by the response I got as a freelance service provider.

The site I’m talking about is oDesk.com. I’ve researched various other freelance sites, but most of them have a lot of limits as far as what jobs you can apply to and how many … unless you purchase a monthly membership. Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a big enough income to afford to pay a monthly fee if I want to take care of my children and bills and what have you. So this monthly expense didn’t seem like a very nice thing to me… I didn’t like it.

ODesk.com however doesn’t charge its members anything out of pocket. If you’re a company looking to outsource some work, you pay a 10% fee to oDesk when you pay your contractor, after the work is done. There’s no membership fee, and there are only a couple of limitations put on the amount of jobs you can post or apply for.

As a freelance contractor, my job is to search for jobs I can do and would be good at, apply to those jobs, and then wait. If a company or individual decides that I’m the right person for the job, they invite me to an interview, we chat, sometimes we arrange a video chat session, and then the deal is sealed or you’re turned down, just like at any other interview.

Depending on your skill set and how many credentials and portfolio pieces you upload to your profile, potential employers can take a look and see everything that you have to offer on one page. This also includes feedback you’ve received from previous employers, a rating of your work, hours worked, and how many projects you’re currently working on.

For anyone with writing, editing, web design, graphic design, coding, scripting, marketing, e-commerce, or any other type of skill that can be provided remotely, from a distance, this site is an amazing resource for any freelance contractor. The hourly positions tracked through the oDesk work diary also offer a guaranteed payment. There are a massive number of jobs available on this site every day, and I highly recommend it!

If you’re a freelance contractor, please visit:
The On Demand Global Workforce - oDesk

If you’re looking to hire a freelancer, please go to:
The On Demand Global Workforce - oDesk

Happy freelancing!

Jennifer-Crystal Johnson is a 26-year-old mother of three beautiful children. When she isn't writing poetry, stories, or letting her imagination run away with her, she works as a freelance writer, editor, and publishing consultant to pay the bills.

Her children laughing, playing in the swimming pool, jumping in piles of autumn leaves (given they aren't wet and soggy), racing shopping carts down the grocery store aisles, BBQ's, fire pits, camping, and relaxing with friends and family are some of Jen's favorite elements of life. While she's working, she's been known to finish off pots of coffee by herself. "The only thing better than getting everything you want in life is knowing that you already have it." She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and drives to the beach at least once a year to take black and white photos of her children.