Freelance Journey: Starting Off to Top Rated in 4 Months
Tags: career, productivity, webdev, freelance
Published: 2021-09-26 06:28:05

![Upwork Badges](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/9ulc0jp4012v47w2kfvn.png)

If you are into **Freelance**, you must have come across **UpWork**, one of the largest **Freelance Marketplace** on the planet. **UpWork** provides **Freelancers** with badges to signify the following:

- **Rising Talent**: Success _early on_ in the **Freelance Game**
- **Top Rated**: Top _12%_ of the **Freelancers** on the Platform
- **Top Rated Plus**: Top _3%_ of the **Freelancers** on the Platform
- **Expert Vetted**: Top _1%_ of the **Freelancers** on the Platform and verified by **UpWork**

I am a **Freelancer** who went from Starting Off to **Top Rated** in just _4 months_ (on average takes _1 to 2 years_). In this article, I will be sharing how I managed to _pull off this feat_ in such a _small timespan_. **Let's Get Started!!!**

![Get Started](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/5t5r4zxdslt7enh6h85v.gif)

**WARNING:** This article will **NOT** provide you with **any shortcut** to becoming **Top Rated**, but share how I became **Top Rated**

# How it Began

If you go through my profile, you will find I started **Freelancing** on _11th May 2021_

![Start](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/8upbbm8m73ftjda7c6xt.PNG)

And I became **Top Rated** on _19th September 2021_, in only **4 Months and 8 days**.

![Top Rated](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/j2pvh8routr64fsf2n5m.PNG)

On paper, I might have become **Top Rated** in _4 months_ **on paper**, but the things that led me to become **Top Rated** started **4 YEARS** ago! 

# How things Snowballs

![Snowball](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/avndq1k4hbpdk7ar33et.gif)

Every **gig** I landed on **Upwork** was a _direct (yet completely unexpected) consequence_ of something I did a long time back.

The first **gig** was writing technical articles (landing the **gig** result of **posting [new articles](https://dev.to/ruppysuppy)** _every week_), the second was developing a **SaaS** product with **Material UI** (the result of being one of the [contributors](https://github.com/ruppysuppy) of **Material UI**), and the final one was due to the _client found my blogs_ and _contacted me_.

All other **gigs** were me working with the **previous clients** or through **referrals** from them.

As you can see, everything you do has a **direct impact on your future**. Make sure you _use this knowledge to your advantage_ and work on things that have _the potential to rocket your future_. Of course, while working on the stuff, you will not know how it **affects you in the future**, but **improving your skills** will _always have a positive impact_.

# Tips to level-up fast at Freelancing

![level up](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ymmpuht8zx39yeojtsiu.gif)

Even though I am still quite new to **Freelancing**, through my journey I learned _quite a few lessons_, which you can apply to avoid some of the **unnecessary pain** I went through:

1. Before you start, make sure you have **practical skills**. I have seen a lot of my friends _watching some tutorials_ and _thinking they have the necessary skills_. When they land a **gig**, they sadly get _slaughtered by the client_ as they can't deliver. **Theoretical skills** are completely useless. You learn something by DOING not STUDYING.

    There is another **caveat** to this. You will _never think that you are ready to start **Freelancing**_. But if you have _demonstrated your skills_ (at least one decent project), **don't shy away** from starting your **freelance** journey.

2. When you are starting, _keep your rates low_, but not **too low**. My first client (before my **Upwork** days) offered me $50 for a **gig** that should have paid $500 considering a rate of $10/hour. Needless to say, the _experience wasn't great_ for **either of us**.

3. **Put the client first.** It might be tempting to _charge the client higher_ or _cut corners_, but I can **absolutely assure you** that it will come back and bite you in the long run.

    The client is _hiring you to solve their problem_, when you **over-deliver**, the client will **endorse you** to their **friends** and will also **come back to you in the future**, leading to more business.

4. Be smart about the **gigs** you apply to. In **gigs** where there are already _20+ applications_, it is _highly unlikely_ that _you apply_ and _the client would select you_. Apply only on the **gigs** which are **recent**, **doesn't have much activity**, and are a **strong match for your skills** to maximize the likelihood of being selected.

5. **Keep improving your skills**. You don't have to learn a **new framework** every month, but **just a few minor new tweaks** to your **skillset** now and then _would work wonders_. Just improving _1%_ every day would incredibly improve your skills in just 1 year (**1.01³⁶⁵ = 37.8, but 1³⁶⁵ = 1**)

# Conclusion

![Sum up](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/a7dtsq9nl1hqwylpzdn8.gif)

You might be wondering _"Everything mentioned in this article is so simple. It won't work for me"_. This is the most common excuse encountered in the world of **Self Development**. 

Everyone is looking for some **mind-blowing** trick, which _when used_ would make them **successful overnight**. Sorry to break your dream, such a trick doesn't exist. It takes **hard work** to become good at anything, and **every pro you know once started off as a noob** (in gamer's terms).

> It takes half a decade of hard work to become an overnight success

Every **overnight success** story you hear, has _thousands of hours_ preceding it which you know nothing about.

Ok. Enough with the **Self Development** stuff. Let's get back to the **Freelance** world.

The **starting are the hardest**, as long as you _keep developing your skills_ and _keep delivering your best consistently_, you will definitely become one of the best **freelancers** in the world. Hope that you become a great **freelancer** soon. **Best of luck on your journey!!!** 

![Good Luck](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/cyuj8iwgydbxwge4mpd3.gif)

Finding **personal finance** too intimidating? Checkout my **Instagram** to become a [**Dollar Ninja**](https://www.instagram.com/the.dollar.ninja/)

# Thanks for reading

Want to work together? Contact me on [Upwork](https://www.upwork.com/o/profiles/users/~01c12e516ee1d35044/)

Want to see what I am working on? Check out my [GitHub](https://github.com/ruppysuppy)

I am a freelancer who will start off as a Digital Nomad in mid-2022. Want to catch the journey? Follow me on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/tapajyotib/)

Follow my blogs for weekly new tidbits on [Dev](https://dev.to/ruppysuppy)

**FAQ**

These are a few commonly asked questions I get. So, I hope this **FAQ** section solves your issues.

1. **I am a beginner, how should I learn Front-End Web Dev?**
    Look into the following articles:
    1. [Front End Development Roadmap](https://dev.to/ruppysuppy/front-end-developer-roadmap-zero-to-hero-4pkf)
    2. [Front End Project Ideas](https://dev.to/ruppysuppy/5-projects-to-master-front-end-development-57p)

2. **Would you mentor me?**
    Sorry, I am already under a lot of workload and would not have the time to mentor anyone.

3. **Would you like to collaborate on our site?**
    As mentioned in the _previous question_, I am in a time crunch, so I would have to pass on such opportunities.

**Connect to me on**

-   [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tapajyoti-bose-429a601a0)
-   [Portfolio](https://tapajyoti-bose.vercel.app)
-   [Upwork](https://www.upwork.com/o/profiles/users/~01c12e516ee1d35044/)
-   [GitHub](https://github.com/ruppysuppy)
-   [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/tapajyotib/)