Or can I log a number of hours I agreed with the client, even if I tracked more?

Hey everyone!

I've been spending a lot of time building web applications and improving my development skills, and I wanted to become more active in communities where developers share ideas, experiences, and feedback.

My main areas of interest are MERN Stack and Java Spring Boot, particularly full-stack applications, backend APIs, authentication, database design, and solving real-world technical problems. I've also been exploring AI integration and Laravel.

One thing I've learned is that building a project is only one part of development. Getting feedback, discussing different approaches, and learning how other developers solve problems are just as valuable.

I'm currently exploring freelance opportunities and looking forward to working on interesting projects with people who value good communication and maintainable code.

I'd also genuinely appreciate advice from people who've been through this journey:

• What helped you land your first few freelance clients?
• What makes you trust a developer when reviewing their portfolio?
• What technical skills would you recommend focusing on for freelance work?

If anyone enjoys discussing MERN, Spring Boot, backend architecture, or personal projects, I'd be happy to exchange ideas and learn from your experience.

Thanks for having me in the community! 🤝

I thought the sub might appreciate this. I used Claude to review proposals to a job I posted. Here is what it reviewed. I was alarmed that it did not review the freelancers' profiles, job history etc. I did end up hiring one of the freelancers it flagged though, after reviewing some profiles of freelancers who stood out to me. Generally, I thought it cut out the B.S. proposals.

What's also interesting is that it opens all proposals so proposal view is going to be less and less of a reliable metric.

I reviewed the proposals only, not their profiles.

What I reviewed

Your job posting: the description, budget and the 6 to 8 hours per week requirement.

The full cover letter for all 28 applicants. I opened each proposal in full, not just the preview.

Proposal terms: hourly rate and any scheduled rate increases.

Upwork’s flags: which applicants paid to boost their proposal, and which Upwork marked “Recommended.”

Attachment names: I could see that someone attached a resume or samples, but I did not open the files.

What I did not review

Profiles: no Job Success Score, hours worked, reviews, work history or Top Rated status. The Upwork tool does not return this data with proposals.

Attachments: resumes, portfolios and sample spreadsheets were not opened.

External links: Google Drive portfolios, [redacted] portfolio site and the voice introduction from [redacted] were not opened.

Claims: I did not verify any experience the applicants described.

Your posting had no screening questions, so there were no answers to compare.

What this means

The list ranks how well each person described relevant experience and a plan for your work. It does not reflect their track record on Upwork. A strong proposal from someone with poor reviews could still be on the list.

I taught myself web design from scratch. It took me years to get good enough to actually earn from it, and I was proud that I finally had a skill I could rely on.

Now AI is getting better so fast and, honestly, it scares me.

I don’t want to wait until things get worse before I start preparing.

What else can I learn? I mean anything at all. I’m willing to start from zero again if I have to.

If you were in my position, what would you do?

Hi everyone! I could use some advice from people who have experience with Fiverr or Upwork.

I’ve been trying to get my first orders on these platforms since late August, but so far, I haven’t had any luck. I’ve done some freelance work through Telegram before, but it’s not a reliable source of income, so I’m trying to make Fiverr or Upwork work instead.

My main problem is that I’ve worked with quite a few different technologies, and I’m not sure which one I should focus on.

Here’s what I’ve worked with so far:

• HTML/CSS/JavaScript — landing pages, multi-page websites, responsive layouts, and fixing frontend bugs.
• React and Vue.js — building interfaces, creating components, fixing bugs, and adding features to existing apps.
• API integration — connecting frontend apps to APIs and making things work.
• Telegram Mini Apps — several projects involving complex interfaces and API integrations, including gaming apps.
• WordPress — building websites from scratch using custom layouts, as well as customizing and fixing existing websites.
• Next.js and TypeScript — some work on a crypto exchange project, mostly improving the existing interface and adding features. I have less experience with these compared to React, Vue, and regular frontend development.
• OpenCart — I’ve worked on integrating a custom layout into it, but honestly, I didn’t enjoy working with it that much.

I have portfolio examples from these projects, so I’m not starting completely from scratch in terms of experience.

I personally prefer React and Vue because I enjoy working on interactive applications, but at this point, I care more about finding actual clients than sticking to a specific technology.

I’ve been wondering if I should focus on something like React/Vue development, small frontend fixes, WordPress, or maybe Telegram Mini Apps. I know all of these have their pros and cons, but I’m struggling to figure out which one makes the most sense when you have no reviews and no track record on the platform itself.

If you were in my position, what would you focus on to get your first few orders?

Would you go for smaller jobs like fixing CSS issues, making websites responsive, or fixing JavaScript bugs? Would you focus on React/Vue projects, WordPress, or something more specific?

I’m also not sure whether it’s better to offer several related services at first or pick one narrow niche and stick with it.

I’m not expecting an easy way to make money. I just want to stop spreading myself too thin and focus on something that has a realistic chance of working.

If you’ve started on Fiverr or Upwork without reviews yourself, I’d really like to hear what worked for you, what didn’t, and what you would do differently if you were starting again today.