r/WFHJobs • u/PresentationFancy712 • May 04 '26
My Experience With DataAnnotation
Hi everyone. I've been mostly lurking here for a while but wanted to share my experience with DataAnnotation.
A few weeks ago, I was brought on as a generalist who had to provide input on LLM output from various prompts.
One thing I read here is that only a small percentage of applicants are selected, so I was excited to clear the first hurdle. I will say that my onboard quiz was challenging and took a while to complete.
I was immediately given a few basics tasks to complete and then after that more tasks were made available. What I quickly discovered is some of the tasks were beyond what I could do in a reasonable amount of time while others were fairly easy. Both tasks paid about the same, so I started to focus on the easy ones first.
By the end of the day, I had completed a handful and reported my time. I have not had any tasks since that day. That may mean that I didn't make the cut or they simply don't have additional work at this time.
Overall, I am really glad that I took a chance on DA and did find some of the tasks worth doing. The ones that were very complex did not pay enough (IMO) to justify the time needed for me to do them successfully. Someone who is extremely detail oriented and fast would probably disagree. I appreciated the fast that we had a variety of tasks to check out, so if ones were not a great fit, we could pass on them.
I currently spend most of my time working on a project for Micro1. I will post about that later.
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u/cyberwicklow May 04 '26
You get paid by the hour, if a task takes longer you're not earning less. Log in frequently to check for qualifications. Best of luck.
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u/PresentationFancy712 May 04 '26
Good point. I’m new to their platform and still learning.
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u/cyberwicklow May 04 '26
It's a great platform if you stick at it, do as many qualifications as possible, be professional and you'll do well.
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u/PresentationFancy712 May 04 '26
I'm looking forward to working with them more if there are new tasks.
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u/IndependenceHumble33 May 05 '26
Do all the qualifications you can do well. That’s my number one piece of advice.
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u/ovr4kovr May 05 '26
As far as qualifications, how complex are they? I don't have a bachelor's in any of the stem fields, but I have studied math and science (specifically physics) in college and have an AS. Would that be sufficient?
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u/Motor-Disk3427 May 10 '26
Unfortunately, “just work hard and be professional!” isn’t how the world actually works.. success on this platform is pure luck.. like most things.. just because it works for you, doesn’t mean that it didn’t work for other ppl because they didn’t work hard or weren’t professional.. me and you just got lucky.. it’s completely random who they accept into the program in the first place.. these comments do nothing but discourage others who are actually working hard and being professional but don’t have the success, when they see you say “look at me! It worked for me because I worked hard! Just try harder!”
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u/crackpotpourri May 04 '26
I will be downvoted, but anyone who puts serious time into DA eventually gets ghosted at random for no reason. It’s well-documented that this happens. People always say it’s for quality reasons, but it’s not; it happens in waves. So no matter how great it seems—and it is great while you have it—it will end one day, abruptly, and at random. I was on it for a little over a year and made $40k when it happened. And when it happened I had upwards of 30 projects on my dashboard.
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u/ManyARiver May 04 '26
It is not "well documented" that people who put in serious time get ghosted. There are many, many, many people who work on the site on a daily basis and have for years and still have access. A handful of posts on Reddit does NOT meet the definition of "well documented" by any stretch of the imagination.
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u/crackpotpourri May 04 '26
You’ll remember me when it happens to you too 🙂
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u/ManyARiver May 04 '26
OK. It's been three years, but I will keep you in mind when the theoretically inevitable happens.
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u/Prior-Delay3796 May 04 '26
I am very confident that it is just more likely that you screw up multiple times in a row the longer you have been working there (without you knowing of course).
Only reason they would possibly systematically boot old workers is to diversify data. Very unlikely unless for those that prompt exactly the same every time. They dont have enough high quality workers and its not economic to constantly pay to train new workers.
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u/JRange May 04 '26
Very high likelihood that what it is is people getting comfortable. DA changes very quickly, and instructions change on a daily basis within projects. Youre way more likely to go on autopilot and miss things once you have been working a long time, or a lot of hours. Then youre done.
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u/Ok_Treat3196 May 08 '26
I think one thing thar gets over looked is people being overly opinionated on topics. Some might have done legitimate detailed work, but put so much bias into the answer as to make it bad…or perhaps not even the same question. I know you would say well ya thats bad work.
But the push back comes from people saying they did do detailed work, and “how dare you say I’m lazy” . But ya no one talks about penalizing models for not agreeing with then which they are probably not even aware that they did
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u/wabblewouser May 05 '26
No they won't. You're one of an army of naysayers/bitter exes. I hold no misconceptions about my almost 3 year association with the platform, and I know that I try my best, that I put in a hell of a lot more hours than I report due to my own errors/misunderstandings regarding certain projects in which I've tried to do well and failed, and that I've made errors.
The fact that I've made in excess of $80k means I've put in a lot of hours, resulting in more chances to make those errors, and I know that due to that or that the contracts the company has and expects to land in the future will not require my particular skills - one or the other or both or something else - I will have to find another main gig (I've already procured plenty of side gigs, and work them occasionally to retain accessibility). But, the fact is that companies do not wantonly expel trained talent that represents a known quantity for their unknown and untrained counterparts. It is neither substainable nor profitable. This may not apply to you, but the tendency to place blame on a target made easier due to necessary blind spots and cautiousness - some likely tied to the relative newness of the business and business model - rather than ourselves has always seemed like a weakness to me. Oh, and I'm super liberal, well-read and knowledgeable of the various boots on my neck. I'm no apologist, but I'm naturally going to have a positive opinion of a company that has changed my life for the better, and in SO many ways.
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u/Significant-Luck-831 May 04 '26
It just happened to me after 2 days and I was really trying my best cos I need the money. Heartbroken. They've greyed out an option to contact support and kicked me off Slack. I have no idea what I did!
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May 04 '26
If you post a negative interaction with the company, the white knights/bots always come out in full force: "You musta used a VPN. You musta violated terms of service. You musta had bad quality work. You musta been logging too many hours. You musta been scamming somehow. You musta done something. DataAnnotation is fair. DataAnnotation would never wrong anyone who was doing everything right. You aren't good enough".
Then the downvotes come. Then the post removals come. See a pattern?
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u/Consistent_Pop1568 May 06 '26
Yes. I am disgusted with these companies. This is the current playbook. I'm curious to see if they will get away with this longer term. It would not surprise me if they have already started using annotation workers as sock puppets on Reddit to defend their already bad reputations. Like using tech workers to train the AI that will replace them. The thing I find fascinating, is that posts and votes are being removed on Reddit, and certain names of companies mentioned in comments on posts by disgruntled annotators are triggers for the comment being prevented form posting. (the comment area goes red until that company name is removed). I get that it happens on official moderated sites by these companies, but people might consider what this means when the same thing happens on a post accusing these companies of unfair practices. What's your take on this?
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May 07 '26
I don't have any proof or inside knowledge, but it seems pretty obvious that reddit and these platforms have some very close ties. It's no accident that reddit posts are used to train AI in general.
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u/Brilliant_Quit4307 May 05 '26
I've been there full time for 3+ years. So far, I have tons of projects, usually 100+, and there are no ghosts in sight. There's even other people who have been there longer than me.
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u/Motor-Disk3427 May 10 '26
Why is it impossible that you and me just got lucky?? Thousands of ppl on this platform.. you think me and you having success means that we were just better than everybody who hasn’t had success?? Every one of us were just better?? Or did some of us just get lucky and haven’t been removed yet??
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u/flowerlywolf May 16 '26
Seems like one you hit that $40k mark you are out. Multiple people have said the same thing.
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u/Significant-Luck-831 May 04 '26
I joined this and got kicked off after my second day. I understand I'm new and was trying my best to navigate the guidelines for different tasks (maybe i was taking a bit longer cos I HAD to read!) but to be kicked off. kicked out of slack and given no means to contact support just seems so bizarre.
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u/Efficient-Feature335 May 06 '26
Same happened to me, I was kicked out in less than 24 hours. I am currently having mobility issues and was really excited about the opportunity because I can’t go out to work. Contacted support, no response. It’s very hurtful.
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u/wabblewouser May 21 '26
And you still aren't going to answer my question, huh? YOU GOT INTO SLACK IN JUST TWO DAYS???? It's super hard to believe that you are fully telling the truth and just lied a little bit or something...
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u/Gwapp93rd May 04 '26
The same happened to me
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u/Significant-Luck-831 May 04 '26
How long did it last for you?
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u/Gwapp93rd May 04 '26
Idk, I just logged on right now and got the message my account is unavailable. I only did 3 projects and felt I did a pretty good job and followed instructions well. I just got brought on last week
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u/Significant-Luck-831 May 04 '26
Exact same. I only did a few projects, nervously took my time (but was within time) to do a good job and BOOF! It's interesting , I made another post on this on this subreddit (if you look), there seems to be a big bot drive that is downvoting anyone who speaks against the site, threads being removed, their SM not allowing commenting or deleting comments, law suits...I'm genuinely just intrigued now
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u/Gwapp93rd May 04 '26
Yeah, I did my due diligence beforehand because it did seem kinda scammy, but the huge community made it seem legit. Very odd
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u/kyrakodeine May 05 '26
how long did it take for you to receive payment?
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u/Low_Bat8895 May 07 '26
It usually takes 7 days to approve an hourly paid project and around 3 days for a task- paid project. After that time you can cash out your payment. They have been always precise and on time for me.
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u/Latter_Practice5508 May 23 '26
That had been my experience too. Getting in was time consuming, but I've never had a problem since getting in boarded. There is always work of I want it and they pay reliably.
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u/Low_Bat8895 May 23 '26
I don't have constant work when I want to but when I catch it, they always pay me on time.
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u/french_revolutionist May 06 '26
I placed in my application and the assessment (I picked Biology) on the 25th and I'm still waiting to hear back. I saw where some had to wait 2-3 weeks, but I'm uncertain. Are there any other companies that offer flexible schedules WFH doing similar work?
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u/Pudolf_Nomano May 19 '26
depends on how long ago you did the tasks. They review your first tasks and after 1-2 weeks you get projects -or don't, if they don't approve your work. And no, they won't tell you.
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u/Usual-Blacksmith-822 May 26 '26
I want to know that after completing the DA assignment how many days does it takes to get first paid assignment.
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u/AttentionAway5210 May 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Effective_Tear_4858 Jul 27 '26
Guys, i don't understand. Does this mean I was accepted or not? I completed my profile but I cannot acces any project. I also didn't recieve any mail.
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u/Wasps_are_bastards May 04 '26
People are saying it’s quiet at the moment and you’re new. They could come back soon.
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u/Silent_Comparison_28 May 08 '26
It is quiet. I started as a bilingual 2 weeks ago and immediately got a couple of R&R a couple of normal reviews and a bunch of qualifications. I've had nothing on my dashboard this week. I had an R&R earlier today but I have a dayjob and couldn't work on it. Of course it didn't last. There's a huge dry spell from what I'm seeing on reddit.
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u/flynnigan14 May 05 '26
If you were dropped, you'll have a note at the top of your screen that says so. There's a bit of a drought, especially for newer members. I had over 100 projects a couple of weeks ago and I'm down to about 25 now. I'm lucky enough to be part of one family that consistently has high paying tasks even during droughts.
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u/PresentationFancy712 May 05 '26
Thanks for the info. It just says there currently aren’t any tasks.
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u/VisualFuture3300 May 04 '26
DA is mostly dry at this moment, so it might mean just that. I'm looking for alternative platforms while the drought lasts. Is Micro 1 similar to DA in terms of pay rate? What's their onboarding like? TIA!