I used to think I just needed to send more proposals.

Boost the right gigs. Optimize my profile.

But over time, I realized something deeper was off, not just with the platform, but with the entire freelance ecosystem.

If you go to Upwork, at first, it looks like jobs are popping up all the time.

Feels like opportunity, right?

But most of these jobs are low-paying, low-quality, or outright spammy.

It's getting disheartening.

During the pandemic, I managed to land some gigs after just a couple of proposals (and I was a total noob who had just graduated). I even got a long-term client without having to pay a cent.

Afterwards I managed to land a full-time job as a PHP Developer and then I decided to focus only on it.

But when I came back to Upwork last year looking to make some extra money in my free time, the difference was shocking.

Dry as a desert, full of water you can't drink.

I won't completely rule out the idea that Upwork may be prioritizing profits over the quality of job posts.

But the truth is probably simpler: the market has shifted.

There are too many freelancers and not enough good, serious clients.

In the past, just out of curiosity, I tried some alternatives, Discord groups, Facebook communities, and even small local networks.

The same thing happens every time. Freelancers flood the space. Clients? Nowhere to be seen. They seem to be hiding.

Why?

Most clients aren't actively looking to solve all their problems. Heck, they might not even realize they have a problem at all.

Many run their business for years with a buggy site or no site at all. And the ones who do have a budget might prefer hiring in-house.

What's left are clients who have some money, but not many demands. I do believe some would love to spend more with freelancers, but often they'd rather learn how to do part of the work themselves or find a way to get it done with AI.

Freelancing outside of platforms isn't easy either.

Try doing an unsolicited audit and sending it via cold email. Most won't even reply. Not because your offer is bad, but because their attention is on running their business. They might have real problems worth hiring for, but they're not talking about them publicly --- and you won't know unless you get them to reply.

So yeah, it feels like there's no easy path. Platforms are crowded and expensive, but outside of them isn't much better.

Still, here's why I lean toward going off-platform. Once you land a client, they're yours. No middleman taking a 15 percent cut. No platform rules to follow. And you can actually build something meaningful for yourself long term.

That's why my takeaway is this: freelancing today requires treating yourself like a business. No more waiting around for the platform to hand you a gig.

I've come to terms with spending six bucks running a local ad, with a landing page explaining my offer. Actually, I probably won't even run ads at first, just do some old-school lead generation through Google Maps and cold email, while growing a social media presence on the side. If what I offer is good, eventually I'll get results (I hope).

As for Upwork, I'll still use my free connects on jobs that look legit.

Or at least I'll try.

But it's going to be one of the ways I find work, not the only one.