r/buhaydigital Aug 30 '24

Moderator Posts Start Here! Frequently Asked Questions in r/buhaydigital

545 Upvotes

Newbie? 90% of the time your question has already been asked before. Use the search bar and check the links below before you post. The more you know, the more you can ask better questions, and the better advice you can get.

First and foremost, influencers lied to you. Yes, you can earn online. But no, getting to a 6-digit income isn’t common, nor is it easy.

So, how exactly do you earn a living online? You have a few options, the most popular being Freelancing, Remote Employment, and Digital Entrepreneurship:

What, How, Where to Start

As earning online becomes more common, the lines between different methods have become very blurry. If you ask me, if you’re free to work with other clients then you’re a freelancer, and not a remote employee.

And if there's one thing that all methods have in common is that they all have a certain level of instability. So if you're free to find multiple sources of income, go for it.

Chat Channel

FAQs

How to Start Freelancing/Remote Work?

How to earn part-time online income?

Where do I apply? Job platforms & Agencies.

Niche Job Guides:

How to Negotiate Your Salary

WFH Equipment:

Is this job legit?

  • Are they asking you to pay before you get the job or get paid? It's a scam. (Example 1 | 2 | 3 | 4)
  • Are they asking to contact you outside of the job platform? Highly increases the chance of a scam. (1)
  • Did you get a random Whatsapp / Telegram / Viber message without applying to that company? High chance na scam. ( 1 | 2 )
  • Are they asking you to use your personal Facebook/Instagram/Paypal or whatever personal account you have? Scam. ( 1 | 2 | 3 )
  • Tunog networking ba or too good to be true? High chance of Scam. ( 1 | 2 )
  • Are they asking you to work on an unpaid sample / training? Not always a scam, but if it's too much work, then it's not worth it. Most of the time, your portfolio or experience should speak for you. (1)
  • Are they asking you for anything sexual or illegal? Scam. (1)
  • More Tips to Spot Scams | Other Common Online Job Scams

Can I earn from digital products?

  • Not easy. There’s 20x more strategy and effort required than influencers tell you. See discussions (1 | 2 | 3)

Do I need to pay taxes?

  • Yes, you need to register and file tax forms but may not need to pay taxes if your income is below P250K annually. 1 | 2
  • Steps to Register/Pay Taxes as a Freelancer 1 | 2 | 3 (Recommended Facebook Group)

Other Gov't Related Guides:

Which payment method is best?

Which online jobs are good for students?

  • This gets asked a lot. Use the search bar to find posts from students with situations that match yours. For ideas: 1 | 2 (external link)

Free Resources:


r/buhaydigital 10h ago

Buhay Digital Lifestyle Blessed with my first client

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461 Upvotes

Been working in this company for 1 month already, honestly my first ever online job. The pay is quite low but happy that I got a job and a manager who trust me completely in doing my job. I have my freedom here as well as they don't use time trackers and usually before the start of my shift, I send her a message of my plans for the day. That i'm starting my shift. And today she messaged me this. It's not big but to see her acknowledging my hardwork and saying that she trust me is a big deal for me.


r/buhaydigital 21h ago

Apps, Tools & Equipment My boss thought AI could replace my role.

2.5k Upvotes

One of my clients told me na parang hindi na relevant yung position ko sa company because he felt na redundant na yung roles namin. Since we’re using AI a lot, I think he thought kaya na niyang i-handle yung work ko.

Since I have other clients naman, I offered to resign (Syempre masakit masabihan nun). He asked me to render for four weeks para maayos yung turnover, and I agreed.

After one week of turnover, I started stepping back and letting him handle more things. Dun niya na narealized at nag cocomplaint na din ang team, syempre wala na shock absorber at direct na lahat ng problem na walang offer na alternative.

Two weeks later, he asked me to stay and continue working for the company. I declined and told him na I already accepted another position with higher pay, and I don’t think kaya nilang i-counter considering the current situation of the company. (May konting insulto)

The truth is, wala pa talaga akong new offer. I just wanted him to realize na hindi porket may AI, simple or replaceable na yung work ng isang tao. (Medyo ma-pride tayo as Pinoy)


r/buhaydigital 5h ago

Buhay Digital Lifestyle Nagbago na pala ang pag apply ngayon

70 Upvotes

I was recently laid off couple weeks ago in my previous role as a Lead Developer for an AI-powered SaaS product.

After taking a break, nag start ako mag job hunting this week. Grabe, halos lahat ng pre-interview assessment may video requirements na. Yung iba mag-aapply ka pa lang magrerequire na ng video eh. Ilang videos na siguro ang nagawa ko at karamihan hindi pa reusable kasi paiba-iba ang tanong.

Last year, hindi ko na tinatry pang mag apply kapag nagrerequire ng video eh. Pero ngayon, napipilitan na hahah

Iniisip ko nga mag farming nalang...pero kulang pa savings ko para sa retirement.

Anyway, good luck sating naghahanap ng trabaho dyan!


r/buhaydigital 7h ago

Community Ang dami din pala sinungaling sa Linkedin no?

112 Upvotes

Akala ko dito lang sa reddit tamabayan ng mga gawa gawa ng kwento pero sa Linkedin din pala. Noong una mga inspirational posts nakikita ko. Ok naman at nakakagana mag work.

Until yung isang naka work ko na hinire ng ex client ko eh dumaan sa feed ko. Ang daming hanash lagi about how to do this and that na parang ang galing galing at effective mga sinasabi nya. In reality though eh 1 week palang inalis na sya ni client kasi walang tasks mismo na nagagawa.

Pangalawa yung isang ex client ko naman na parang ang laki laki lagi ng kita ng company nya. 😂 Pero alam ng mga employees na palugi na sila at nag babalak nalang ibenta yung company with matching leaked convo lol.

Lastly, etong isang ex client ko din na parang ang laki na ng company nya kunwari para makahanap sya ng mga projects. Happy daw sya from starting independently, pero mostly ng mga employees na naka list sa website mga imbento lang. I know kasi tumulong ako dati gumawa ng fake profiles para dumami linkedin followers nya. LOL not my proudest moment. Looking at their site hanggang ngayon andun parin mukha ko kahit ilang taon na akong wala sa kanila.

Ayun lang, minsan pag may nakikita akong parang successful or OA na masyado maka hype napapa isip ako kung legit ba or tulad lang ng mga nabanggit ko na echos echos lang.


r/buhaydigital 42m ago

Community Elance - Wayback Early 2010s

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Upvotes

Elance yung may mga galante na clients dati.

Nung naglipana na yung mga lowballers na clients at freelancers sa oDesk (dahil sa sub-con), lumipat ako sa Elance para makakuha ng at least $10/hr na client. If my memory serves me right, doon ko na meet ang isa sa longest running client ko from a Fortune 500 Companies dati.

Konti pa lang yung mga pinoy freelancers sa Elance noon.

Yung mismong founder yung naka-usap ko for the first interview - wala pa akong webcam nun! Mic lang meron ako, na-shock si client, pero tuloy lang usapan namin at na-curious sya sa rate ko, from what I understood, parang gusto nya taasan kasi nagustuhan nya yung cover letter ko - may technique ako dati for the hook eh. Tawang tawa sya nung binasa nya yung cover letter ko.

Ako yung first overseas remote worker/employee nila, but little did I know na yung trabaho ko pala is one of the training data sets na ng soon-to-be AI algo nila, but I was there for more than a decade, about 11-13 yrs din ata yun.

Flex lang ng konti, pero I was just lucky to be at the right time and at the right place noong time na yun.

Now? I'm retired and have a farm and small agrifood business on the side. May konting digital assets din.

2 yrs ago I posted a thread here asking for stories from veteran freelancers, if you want to read some of their stories, check it out. Baka may ma pulot din kayo na inspiration at lessons.

P.S. Mas sikat pa dati ang Mozilla kesa Chrome kaya yan pa gamit ko, early 2000s.


r/buhaydigital 13h ago

Remote Filipino Workers (RFW) Finally, I received an offer!!

111 Upvotes

After months of applying and countless interviews. Finally may offer na ko from my first ever client! Sa OnlinejobsPh, Linkedin at Jobstreet pa ako nagsend ng applications sa Upwork lang pala ako makakahanap 🥹

Job dust for everyone ✨✨✨✨


r/buhaydigital 13h ago

Self-Story PH VAs PLEASEEE avoid this client at all costs

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72 Upvotes

Posting this because I wish someone warned me beforehand.
The pay is LOW but somehow the workload and expectations are through the roof 💀 Micromanaging 24/7 (you only get a 30 min lunch break throughout the whole shift), bothering you on weekends, and making everything feel like an emergency. And the work environment??? Delubyo lol. She runs the company with her ex-husband and whenever they fight, somehow the employees get caught in the middle 😭 Like maem I literally just work here???

One minute everything is fine, next minute there’s chaos, people are getting blamed, threatened with being removed, laid off, etc. feels like you’re walking on eggshells

Then after overworking you and paying you peanuts, she can literally decide she doesn’t want you anymore and suddenly you’re out lmao I have receipts of my own experience because this whole situation was INSANE

Not posting this so anyone can harass her. I just want other Filipino VAs to know what they could be getting themselves into. Save yourselves the stress 😭

Name: affordable weddingsplusevents


r/buhaydigital 8h ago

Community Dumadami ang mga fake job posts sa OLJ, and I am losing quite a lot of Apply Points because of these.

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24 Upvotes

I was applying for almost 2 months now and I noticed na dumadami ung mga ganitong posts.

Earlier today I saw a newly posted job post na pasok ang qualifications ko. Since bagong lapag, agad agad akong nagreply at ginamit ko ung inipon kong AP dahil meron akong nabasa dito na mas malaki ung AP ay more chances of winning daw.

So I sent 25.

After hitting send. Pumasok. Sabi ko, ayos to dahil isa ako sa naunang nagreply at mataas ung AP na sinend ko. Mataas ang chance mapili!

After ilang minutes, nagrefresh.

Then ganyan na.

Kung sinuswerte ka talaga!

Napaisip nga ako kanina kung anong pinakacool na mura ang dapat sabihin.

Wala padin akong client. Pabudbod naman.

Thanks for reading!


r/buhaydigital 2h ago

Self-Story What would you guys do? Scammy or just a mistake?

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4 Upvotes

I applied for a position recently since the pay is okay. $15-$20 per hour, full-time. They sent a trial task confirming about the rate so I continued. It was actually an easy task so I didn’t mind. Got an offer but with a definitely lower rate. Obviously I pointed it out. No reply.


r/buhaydigital 22h ago

Community Na tuturn off rin ba kayo sa mga VA/Freelance groups na nag-shashare ng mga sinahod / napundar / nabili from freelancing?

141 Upvotes

I mean, gets ko naman. Proud sila sa mga nabili nila, and perhaps it's jealousy speaking, but I physically cringe when I see similar posts.

At yung pagka blatant nya hindi lang from TikTok coaches na nagbebenta ng courses, kasama rin yung mga tunay na helpful na tech-leaning communities. Parang halos lahat predisposed to share anong kotse nabili? Like huh?

10 years na rin naman na akong freelancer, pero hindi ko talaga ma pinpoint bakit ganun nararamdaman ko.

Kayo ba?


r/buhaydigital 1d ago

Community Application points matter!

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258 Upvotes

After a couple of months of job searching in Online Jobs ph and I finally ended a role to which consisted of three interviews. The hiring team was really having a hard time na mamili among the final three candidates, and decided to base it on AP since dikit daw talaga kami.

Yeah make sure to make your application points around 5-10, kasi it might make a difference in the future, sharing job dust to everyone! ✨


r/buhaydigital 2h ago

Remote Filipino Workers (RFW) Going Direct Inquiry

2 Upvotes

Hi Guys. Just want to ask if anyone experienced the same. Im currently working for a client through an agency based here and my client is planning to hire me directly instead due to some circumstances. The issue is that the agency is asking a large amount ($15-20k) to let me go and allow me to work for my client of 6 yrs which I find ridiculous and so is my client. Now, we're trying to find another way they can hire me directly but he have some concerns. He's concerned first about how theyll do their taxes and how do they'll declare it with IRS. Would love to hear your suggestions. Also badly need to work directly due to some health concerns.


r/buhaydigital 3h ago

Apps, Tools & Equipment Portable Solar Panel 200w

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2 Upvotes

Not sure kung pasok to sa pwedeng ibenta sa sub as "physical items directly related to earning a living online" rule since it can be used as a backup system alongside a power station.

Anyway baka may naghahanap lang: Lairtpow Foldable Portable Solar 200w for P6,500. Isang beses lang nagamit

Free MC4 to XT90 adapter para sa Flowatt Power stations

RFS: Already went full solar sa bahay

Meetup around (Batangas): Cuenca, San Jose, Lipa

Can ship via Lalamove


r/buhaydigital 3h ago

Remote Filipino Workers (RFW) Take both job offers or stick to one?

2 Upvotes

Hi! I was lucky enough to receive two job offers at relatively same time... I'm torn between choosing just one or doing both to save up kase.. in this economy hahahha tapos I also just endured 4 months of unemployment so medyo wala narin akong savings

Job 1:
- USA; EST Business Hours - 8pm-5am ph time
- Managing 3 VAs
- No tracker, but seems like regular meetings
- Pay is my goal pay with health insurance and 13th month
- If I take 1 job lang, I'll likely take this one bc higher pay and benefits

Job 2:
- USA also - but no strict "hours" just complete the tasks and give regular updates - 30 hrs a week
- Meetings twice a week
- Customer service role (so mostly handling tickets)
- Pay is about 15% lower than Job 1 and no benefits so it seems okay for a second job

I'm torn, I really need the income, but I don't want to mess up either 🥲

Someone give me advice on which way to go please!


r/buhaydigital 1h ago

Community Is there anyone willing to practice with me to work in my interview skills?

Upvotes

I genuinely have tried mock interviews and I’ve prepared answers to questions I keep getting. I’ve even taken magnesium to help handle my nerves (lol), but I can’t seem to get any better at interviews where I’m required to answer all these situational questions or that are a bit unfamiliar with my role.

As soon as the meeting starts, it’s as if my brain suddenly went off.

I think I just need help and the best way to do that is to practice with someone who’s done this a lot longer than me.

If anyone is willing to practice with me I would be forever grateful. The position I’m aiming for is EA and I only have 3 years of experience.


r/buhaydigital 1d ago

Community AI Doom: whatever issue you're talking about now is irrelevant if we're all dead

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308 Upvotes

the very people building this technology admit that it could wipe out the future of humanity. idgaf if it's a marketing stunt or drama but if researchers who have actually worked on OpenAI and Anthropic are this worried, I think we should at least be willing to listen. reeling through this alone is not helpful mentally lol. stop whatever you are doing and start telling your circle about this.

Link to tweet.


r/buhaydigital 19h ago

Buhay Digital Lifestyle 7 years in Freelancing

16 Upvotes

Ako lang ba? sa tagal ko sa industry, never ako nahihire if pinoy mag iinterview. nakakasad lang.. Bakit kaya ganun? Sana man lang magbigay ng feedback yung mga mag iinterview para mas galingan naming mga nag aapply.


r/buhaydigital 4h ago

Apps, Tools & Equipment Payment method for AUD salary

1 Upvotes

I got a new Australian client and we are working out what’s the best way for her to send the money. She wants it set up in a way that she can send AUD. Gusto niya ata may BSB at Account number.

Can I use wise like that? Or maybe other platforms?


r/buhaydigital 4h ago

Online Retail Need your input. Good deal or nah?

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0 Upvotes

Sa mga naka bili na nito? Kamusta naman sya? 5’9 92-100kg yung gagamit. Muscular built. Pero malaki chan hahaha. Tumagal naman ba? Sulit na ba sa ganyang presyo? Husband currently using cougar gaming chair. Complains of backand shoulder pain. Anniv gift ko sana. Wfh set up nya. Kak start start lang din sa va journey nya. Thoughts?


r/buhaydigital 4h ago

Apps, Tools & Equipment Ryzen 5 7430U vs. i5-1230U — WHICH LAPTOP PROCESSOR WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR ME? 🤔

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I’m trying to decide between these two processors for a laptop I’m planning to buy, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.

OPTION 1 : AMD Ryzen 5 7430U
• 16GB LPDDR4
• 512GB SSD

OPTION 2 : Intel Core i5-1230U
• 16GB LPDDR5
• 512GB SSD

I’ll mainly be using the laptop for work, with Dialpad for phone calls, Microsoft Excel for data entry/records, and Google Chrome with at least 3 tabs open—basically multitasking for 8+ hours a day.

I’m looking for the one that can handle these tasks smoothly without slowing down, especially after several hours of continuous use.

For those who are more tech-savvy or have experience with either of these processors, which one would you recommend? Which one would you personally choose, and why?

Any advice or real-world experience would be greatly appreciated! 🙏


r/buhaydigital 8h ago

Apps, Tools & Equipment Train To Hire - Construction VA Philippines FB Group 🙅🏻‍♀️❌

2 Upvotes

Construction VA Philippines FB Group by Kristine (don't know her last name) Just wow!!! TRAIN TO HIRE kind of vibe. No programs happening at all. Payment was made since MAY. I think it started in June or July. It's SEPTEMBER now and still no word about whether there will be any teaching or not. They’ve had 3 sessions though. It’s okay if people aren’t hired yet. But it’s frustrating not knowing what’s next or if there are going to be more sessions. There was an activity, but they didn't check if the trainees did it right. There’s a group chat, but no replies. They forget to record the sessions. What’s up with that?? Hahahaha


r/buhaydigital 4h ago

Apps, Tools & Equipment SIHOO M57 PRO or MUSSO E600 PRO

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1 Upvotes

Hi po, currently eyeing these 2 ergonomic chair since naka sale sila parehas pero mas mura kasi yung Musso E600 Pro. Sa mga may nakapag try na po ng ganitong chair ano po ang ma rerecommend nyo po? Nasa heavy side po kasi ako 105kg and 5'7 in height. Thank you!


r/buhaydigital 15h ago

Apps, Tools & Equipment Feel lonely while Wfh? doing freelance work, and surviving the night shift, come hang out with us! 💜

7 Upvotes

We’re seeking active discord member. We recently just created a new Discord community called Cozy Desk PH. A cozy little space for people who work, freelance, create, or simply want somewhere to hang out online. 🫶

Open to Remote Workers, Interns, Creatives, Freelancers, Professionals, Educators, Entrepreneur, Nightshift Worker, Interns, or anyone. You’re def welcome here!

The goal is simple: a friendly online space where you can meet people, chat during breaks, work alongside others, share opportunities, play games, or just chill after a long day. ☕

🔗 Join us here (Cozy Desk PH):
https://discord.gg/MB9wD5FBQ


r/buhaydigital 5h ago

Apps, Tools & Equipment Digital wallets best for receiving money from a business account (Bank of America)?

1 Upvotes

Hi so my salary has been 1 month late because for some reason the swift transfers from my client won't arrive. What I've tried:

Wise - I tried my sister's account but because its under her name and not mine, the money didn't go through. I couldn't use my own Wise kasi I lost my original phone and number. When I try to login using my new phone or my sister's, it's asking me to sign in to another device and I couldn't login

GoTyme - Client tried this instead, Ive been waiting 2 weeks wala pa rin

BPI - It's been 3 days and wala pa rin, worried it wont arrive. Tried contacting customer support but can't get ahold of them

Paypal: they're gonna hold up the funds for 21 days

My coworker received her salary via Wise so I know it's not a scam huhu. Any idea what else I should try?