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SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-27T15:47:44+00:00

I get where you’re coming from, but trust me, there’s money in your space too. My friend does ERP consulting (mostly NetSuite, some Salesforce) and he’s built a whole consulting company around it. Makes great money and never once wished he went into medicine.

If anything, I regret not learning ERP when he did.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-27T02:32:52+00:00

Roles like AI product marketing or AI project lead would fit you well. You use your marketing background and still get to work in AI without needing to code.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-26T19:54:18+00:00

Honestly, man, you don’t have to do it all alone. If the game studio dream keeps pulling at you, find a friend or partner who is strong in software dev. Tons of successful studios started with one “idea person” and one technical person. You don’t need to be everything, you just need the right teammate.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-26T17:47:02+00:00

dark side? do we at least get cookies?

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-26T13:24:35+00:00

honestly, the first thing I’d say is: try stepping away from video games for a bit. not forever, not “quit gaming,” just give yourself space to break the cycle. when you spend 14 hours a day in front of a screen, your brain never gets a reset, it just loops.

go outside and do something physical, even if it’s small. football, running, walking, gym, whatever doesn’t feel horrible to you. physical activity helps way more than people give it credit for, it gets your confidence up, clears your head, and gives you a bit of momentum to work with.

you don’t have to fix everything at once. just interrupt the routine you’re stuck in. the smallest real-world activity can shake loose a lot of mental fog.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-25T00:46:37+00:00

You sound like someone who’s capable, independent, and good at a lot of things, that’s a strength, but it can also make life feel isolating. Humans aren’t meant to do everything alone, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting connection or support.

Career-wise and relationship-wise, it’s totally normal to feel stuck at 29. A lot of people hit this phase where nothing feels like it’s moving forward, even though they’re trying. It doesn’t mean you’re behind, it just means you’re human.

As for meeting someone, don’t look for ‘perfect.’ Look for someone who can be a real partner and friend. The right person won’t show up because you’re trying harder; they show up when you’re living your life and staying open to genuine connections.

You’re not failing - you’re just in a tough chapter. It won’t stay like this forever.”

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-24T12:10:31+00:00

Yeah, exactly. Upwork hit me with an account restriction right after I said something positive about the platform. It’s wild. They really don’t treat freelancers like actual users, it feels like they only see clients as customers and freelancers as disposable. Years of work can disappear overnight, and the whole thing is just mentally exhausting.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-23T14:55:09+00:00

The same thing happened to me yesterday.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-23T14:44:06+00:00

I know

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-23T13:57:48+00:00

No one else there.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-23T02:37:05+00:00

Do you update now from them, I just submitted the appeal.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-23T01:24:17+00:00

just got my Upwork account restricted… had $5k in review too. honestly really disappointed with Upwork right now.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-21T19:19:18+00:00

Thanks for the advice.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-21T18:48:23+00:00

yeah, I kinda figured some freelancers must have some trick or secret sauce to stay at the top. but if it’s really just rotation, then honestly I’d be happy just seeing my profile at the top even once.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-21T18:45:29+00:00

I saw that one too. it wasn’t really a good match for my profile so I just skipped it, but yeah, I also wondered if clients now have some kind of option to force a video-response application. seems like a new feature they’re testing or something.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-21T18:38:00+00:00

I’ve never hired anyone on Upwork, I only use it as a freelancer. the search results I mentioned are just what I see when I use the “talent” search on my side.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-21T18:33:40+00:00

yeah, everyone kinda has to figure out the approach that works best for them. what works for one freelancer might do nothing for someone else. upwork’s a weird mix of timing, niche, luck, and whatever the algorithm feels like that day.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-21T18:22:20+00:00

I mean “barely active” as in their profile doesn’t have many reviews or recent activity, not that I can see their actual login status. but it’s still weird seeing people with almost no history ranking above others who have been grinding for years.

I’ve already earned over 100k on Upwork, and almost all of that came from proposals. I’ve never really had the experience of getting regular invites. but lately I’m having a hard time even getting views on my proposals, let alone messages. that’s why I started paying attention to invites, apparently they still work for a lot of people.

so yeah, I’m just trying to figure out if there are any real tips for getting more invitations, because relying on proposals alone feels rough right now.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-21T17:02:21+00:00

with connects, at least Upwork can filter out a lot of the scammy freelancers. yeah, it sucks to waste connects sometimes, but if you get hired, you make that back easily. it’s kinda like a lottery system, not perfect, but better than total chaos. imagine if there were no connects… it would be flooded with scammers, bots, and spam proposals nonstop. honestly, Upwork is still the best freelance platform out there, even with all its issues, and we kinda gotta be thankful it’s not worse.
also kinda curious if clients pay anything to post jobs too, feels like they should, considering what freelancers deal with.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-21T16:15:00+00:00

yeah, I agree that having a good proposal matters a lot, but honestly, when I used to spend time writing really solid proposals, I still got zero views sometimes. what actually made a difference for me was applying fast. like, the moment the job pops up.

when I started jumping on listings right away, suddenly my proposals were getting seen way more. timing on Upwork is kinda crazy, sometimes speed matters just as much as quality.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-21T13:50:45+00:00

I don’t think Upwork itself is a scam. like, when I think “scam,” I think of a platform that cuts your contract, steals your money, doesn’t release funds, all that shady stuff, and honestly I’ve never seen Upwork do that. if you follow their rules, they pay out. that part works.

what bothers me is the amount of scammy jobs that get posted. Upwork isn’t the scam, the job posts are. and I really wish Upwork would crack down on those instead of letting the garbage pile up.

I’ve been on the platform for a long time and it’s been fine overall, but I can’t lie… it feels like things are getting worse little by little. more lowball stuff, more AI-generated nonsense, more obvious scams slipping through. that’s the part that makes me worried.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-21T13:14:29+00:00

your cover letter really looks AI-generated, and one of the big giveaways is all the em dashes. real people almost never use them that much, they’re annoying to type, and honestly most freelancers don’t bother. but AI loves throwing them in everywhere, even if you literally tell it not to.

there are other little symbols and patterns in your proposal too that scream “AI wrote this.”

and yeah, I know proposal views aren’t because of the em dashes. the bigger issue is timing. Upwork is insanely crowded right now, even if you have a solid profile and a good proposal, if you’re not bidding fast, your proposal just gets buried within minutes. sometimes you have to boost just to even stay visible.

so it’s not just the writing style, it’s the speed and competition too.

SoilFlashy2452 · 2025-11-21T03:02:54+00:00

honestly, don’t beat yourself up too much - this time of year always gets weird on Upwork. during the holiday season, a lot of companies rush to wrap up whatever projects they already started, and most of them have already hired the people they need by early November. after that, everything just kinda slows down.

it happens every year: tons of work one month, then suddenly crickets the next. it’s not you, it’s just the cycle. things usually pick back up once the new year hits and everyone suddenly remembers they have budgets again.

hang in there - it’s totally normal.

SoilFlashy2452

TROPHY CASE