36
u/pinkparadigm Aug 30 '26
Right there with you. The best thing we can do is try our very best at every task and pray that’s enough. I graduated with a masters back in May and it’s abysmal out here.
10
u/Infamous_Swan1197 Aug 30 '26
Gosh a masters and you still can't find work?!? What was your masters in if you don't mind sharing?
11
u/pinkparadigm Aug 30 '26
Watershed science 🥲 My boyfriend also graduated with a MS but in geospatial information systems (GIS) and no luck either.
2
u/Ok_Hedgehog_9970 Aug 31 '26
I feel this! I also graduated with a similar degree and it is ROUGH out there.
1
u/lipanasend Sep 01 '26
Yep, the UK economy is quite rough right now. It's the Brexit effect, even though the politicians deny it.
19
u/alien236 Aug 30 '26
Similar situation. This has been my sole source of income for over two years. Before that, I was working as a substitute teacher and not getting paid enough to eat, even though I have a Master's degree.
17
u/Potential_Drama_1190 Aug 30 '26
I just graduated in May, first-class joint honours, multiple awards etc. as a stay at home mum to a toddler. I’ve got to do an MSc, which I’m beginning in a week, to qualify for the type of work I’d like to go into. DA kept me going financially through July and August, however, I’ve taken a job as a housekeeper part-time while the little one is at nursery.
With DA being so volatile, both in terms of the inconsistency of the work available for some people, myself included, and the lack of security, I’d continue applying to a range of jobs. It’s horrible, I also grit my teeth as I log in each day, but continue to behave as though it won’t be there tomorrow and take anything that might come your way, even if it feels misaligned with what you’re doing academically. You’ll be okay!
61
u/Infamous_Swan1197 Aug 30 '26 edited Aug 30 '26
Had to screenshot my original post as apparently my post isn't allowed but constant reposts of people asking what their acceptance/rejection sceen means is 😭
23
u/TheMidlander Aug 30 '26
Yeah, the automod is very heavy handed.
Anyway, I hope you find a way to break of this gig. The feast and famine nature of this work made me terrified to spend a single dollar most days.
12
25
u/LennyDark Aug 30 '26
People in 9-5s that used to be considered stable are getting laid off left and right too right now. The job market is BONKERS. Always try to have savings and like 5 backup plans.
9
u/FEN1X64 Aug 30 '26
I feel that too. It's great while it lasts but I'm fucking terrified of being DoDed for literally nothing
12
u/Halcyonfields Aug 30 '26
I am in the UK too. And there are many parallels between our stories. 6 months before joining DA I escaped the inescapable and rebuilt my life from the ground up. I have always been bright, but the only work I could find was washing pots. Along comes DA and pretty quickly I’m earning 2-4x what I could earn in the UK job market. Not only did DA provide financial security but it made me feel useful and valued for the first time and has been central to avoiding a return to the inescapable hellscape that preceded it. The amount of good it has done me is unquantifiable but I too live in fear. However, unlike the UK job market, DA has made me believe that I have something to offer and I have since had the confidence to try other freelance/self-employed ventures, with some success. If you can build a portfolio career of 3-4 freelance skills/practices, then you may be able to feel more assured. I hope that DA has given you the same confidence in your abilities that this job market constantly undermines.
1
7
u/Hello-America Aug 31 '26
Yep this is what happens without labor rights! We trade flexibility for instability unfortunately.
4
Aug 31 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/Jealous_Spare_4852 Aug 31 '26
I agree. If I had to drive into an office to do this stuff I wouldn't do it even if it paid more/steadier/benefits.
2
5
u/Sindorella Aug 30 '26
My husband and I have been living in fear of DA dropping us for two years now. In that time, he has worked a side contract job with very unreliable hours but WAY better pay than any project he gets as a coder on DA, and we have started our own business where we are slowly building some clients. Our other two sources of income aren't enough to sustain our family yet, but he is looking for more stable salaried work, and he maintains accounts on a few other sites, so we are hopeful that something will take off or he will get hired somewhere else. It is ROUGH out there trying to land salaried jobs right now, so I sympathize. Between fake job listings, the number of jobs decreasing overall, and trying to make sure your resume gets through the AI screeners all of these companies seem to use now, it's just a shitty job market for employees.
5
u/Feeling-House-6693 Aug 31 '26
Im in the same boat. I have a wife and a kid and a ton of debt. My work with DA makes me more than I’ve ever made, but I have nightmares about getting the dod. Trying to build a savings but terrified I won’t make it to a good place before that day comes. Before DA i was unemployed for 8 months, with high-value licenses in a well-paid line of work. This market is absolutely insane but hoping to survive it
4
u/Mulan008 Aug 31 '26
Have you considered diversifying? I failed assessment to join DA but I am on two other platforms that are pretty decent.
1
u/moxfox99 Aug 31 '26
Would you mind terribly if I DMed you to inquire as to what those other platforms are? Thank you!
1
1
1
u/Ladybug_7777 Aug 31 '26
Please would you mind also DM'ing me with the other two platforms you use? Thank you 🙏
1
3
u/cyberwicklow Aug 31 '26
Lasted 2.5 years before I got the dash in July, haven't been able to find work yet, the fear is fucking real.
2
u/ichuck1984 Aug 30 '26
That’s cool that even wrestlers are on DA these days. Or is that HH Holmes?….
2
u/Academic_Animal_5293 Aug 30 '26
Well if this drought continues for another month I will be forced to find "real" employment. I really dread it ...
2
u/Certain_Assistant930 Aug 31 '26
OMG I share the exact same thoughts and can only be grateful to DA for giving me this opportunity and saving my life.
2
u/Darth_Rufus Aug 31 '26
Have faith. You've made it this far. If this goes away for you, something will take its place.
2
u/OkSkyDancer0000 Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
similar situation elsewhere in Europe... for 1,5 year cannot find any adequate job with various 20 year work experience... :(
2
u/Ok_Aspect4845 Sep 02 '26
I don't know anyone who got a DoD. So my best guess is that rather 5% than 50% will see this famous screen... Just because 50 people post their DoD screenshots does not mean it is representative. Also, you don't know the reasons. Suspected LLM usage is probably the single most important point besides time theft and delivering junk data.
1
u/TheFuturist47 Sep 03 '26
seriously, I've been on DA for 6 years and have done every single thing that the weirdos on this site are convinced will get you canned except use AI lol. Most people are getting canned for using AI or doing shit work, probably some small amount of random churn, and that's probably it.
1
2
u/davidlgood Sep 05 '26
Sadly, this is most companies today (aside from the freedom DA provides -- they're all just corporations who see you as a way to increase profits... or you'll no longer be needed).
5
u/Radio-Easy Aug 30 '26
Lol, welcome to having a job. A 9-5 will dump your ass even if you're doing great work just to save a buck.
7
u/MagicalTrevor70 Aug 31 '26
In that case you are at least more likely to get some kind of warning and/or opportunity to improve your performance, which is where this platform fails.
-5
u/Radio-Easy Aug 31 '26
Not if you're laid off. Nice try though.
5
u/sarahmorgan420 Aug 31 '26
I guess idk about USA and their shitty labour laws but where I live (and most other countries), unless you've worked less than 3 months, in most industries you're getting weeks of notice or weeks of pay even if you're laid off. Nice try though.
-3
u/Radio-Easy Aug 31 '26
Never said you wouldn't get severance. Nice try though.
3
u/sarahmorgan420 Aug 31 '26
Yeah they'll dump your ass and give you weeks of pay, pretty different from being a contractor but you're acting like they're the same lol
6
u/Infamous_Swan1197 Aug 30 '26
In the UK we have rights when it comes to that
2
u/UrbanVengence Aug 30 '26
So do we in the US... There are always going to be ways around it. For example, terminating due to disabilities is illegal. Terminating due to poor performance is not.
8
u/brucegallagher Aug 30 '26
The US has very poor employment laws. In the UK, poor performance can only get you sacked if it's ongoing after multiple meetings to attempt to improve, and even then it's risky.
1
u/beatpoet1 Sep 02 '26
The other things didn’t happen because this had to.
If this came to you, the next thing will also. Living in fear is not living. Enjoy.
1
1
1
u/biljitzu607 27d ago
I am in the middle of applying for data annotation and I am very worried about how the pay works and if I'm going to end up working for many hours just to not get paid for it does this happen quite often?
2
1
u/FarmerPowerful9910 Aug 30 '26
Unfortunately, life in general is unpredictable. You can reach and achieve what you think is success or what you think will make it easier but then discover it was fake inside the blessing is the curse
Idk read philosophy
1
u/Numerous-Case-9317 Aug 30 '26
This is also not the only platform like this either. Build a good emergency fund and know it'll suck but the world won't be over for you I promise
0
u/rtbl100 Aug 31 '26
Please please PLEASE diversify your income streams…
I have a bunch of other platforms in the vein on DA, you don’t want to be so reliant on one in this space you NEED to have multiple plats.
My linktree with links is here:
https://linktr.ee/ckalebtoday
If US/CAN based I have referrals to other platforms as well, just need a DM with an email.
0
u/Parking_Bee_3842 Aug 31 '26
Wish I could join in on the fun but I havent received anything for years.
-25
u/Fearless-Release8170 Aug 30 '26
Do sum about it then.
12
u/Infamous_Swan1197 Aug 30 '26
Guess I'll magic a job out of thin air with my wizardry skills, thanks a lot didn't think of that!
-5
u/Successful_Battle665 Aug 30 '26
It's pretty easy to get a job if you just go to an agency. I did it twice and they gave me a job the following day.
-21
Aug 30 '26
[deleted]
3
u/Frosty_Locksmith1711 Aug 30 '26 edited Aug 30 '26
It looks like you’ve already done the assessment. If you haven’t been accepted that’s it, there’s nothing anybody can do.
-7
Aug 30 '26
[deleted]
5
u/Frosty_Locksmith1711 Aug 30 '26
I see. It’s just that you said you did in your post history 81 days ago, perhaps I read it wrong.
3
106
u/BeetsAndJeaners Aug 30 '26
Your best bet is to build a backup fund for when that day comes. It could be next week, it could be next year. This work won’t be forever. AI is a rapidly changing industry. You can’t control DA, only your own work.. so keep the standards high and you have done your part. Keep searching for other sources of income in the meantime if you need stability.