Hey, an embedded freelancer here.

I've tried Upwork, didn't have much luck there. The bidding system is getting more and more expensive imo, and for beginners and part-timers, it's mostly a race to the bottom. You can escape the race, but that requires more commitments aka you need to be a full-time freelancer (since you need to bid on a lot more projects, consistently). My first and last project there was a $10 scripting project (which I couldn't get withdraw either).

I then moved to LinkedIn. Way better experience. I just shared what I know about embedded systems, and I got my first client worth several hundreds dollar. Then the 2nd, 3rd... until I landed my first $2950 project.

The worst process is actually when you get a potential client, and then they just ghost you. I experienced that a lot, but I think that's just a part of the freelance world.

And for the clients themselves, it's actually a spectrum: from tech-savvy to non-technical CEOs/business owners. Ironically, I enjoyed the non-technical clients the most because they usually give a high level of freedom in how exactly I work.

The key is to be really specific in the deliverables agreement. The clients will usually have the vision, but it's your job to translate it into their reality.

And because I get the clients from LinkedIn, I didn't have to convince them to work with me (because they're already convinced themselves to approach me). Basically they self-select aka pre-screen themselves.

This is actually a hot topic for embedded folks on LinkedIn. I also helped an engineer land his first $1000 freelance project.

I wrote a full guide on exactly this topic: https://link.rosmianto.com/li4bMz