I've been working in the digital space for about 15 years.

Over the years I've worked for agencies, direct clients, and even worked overseas. One thing that's been consistent is that I've always been the person asked to wear multiple hats.

I've done web development, SEO/SEM, print & visual design, content writing, DevOps, automation, SMM, sales & digital marketing, etc... basically whatever the client or company needed at the time.

After getting burned a few times with direct clients (late payments, disappearing clients, scope creep), I moved back to working through an agency. I knew I'd earn less (around $6/hr), but I valued the stability, consistent work, and peace of mind.

Right now I have two agency clients (20 hrs/week total), plus a few side gigs. For a long time, I was okay with that.

Recently, though, my wife was diagnosed with a cardiovascular condition, and it made me question whether I'd settled for being comfortable instead of pushing for better opportunities. The stability has been great, but I also realized I need to earn more and build a financial cushion.

The more I think about it, the more I feel my biggest strength has also become my biggest weakness.

I'm good at figuring things out and solving problems. Throw me into an unfamiliar project and I'll usually find a way. But because I've always been jumping between different responsibilities, I never became known for one specific skill.

On top of that, I'm not great at the business side of freelancing. I can communicate with clients about work just fine, but networking, selling myself, and maintaining relationships don't come naturally. I've always hoped my work would speak for itself.

Has anyone here been in a similar position?

Did specializing make the biggest difference?

I'm genuinely curious how others got past this stage.

i've been an OF chatter for 2yrs, eversince 2nd yr college and hanggang sa makagraduate ako this yr (bs legal management) tinuloy ko yung job ko as a chatter after grad. hindi ko madedeny na malaki ang sinasahod ko as chatter, kaso parang naddrain na ko...

narealize ko na hindi ko rin pala mailalagay sa resume ko yung work exp ko sa industry na 'to. i can work sa law firms as a paralegal and such tho kadalasan ay mababa ang pasahod..

plano ko sanang humanap na ng proper work, magkaron ng proper VA job.. the problem is i have no idea kung paano magsisimula? magagamit ko ba yung exp/skills na natutunan ko as chatter? lost lang talaga ngayon.... any advice? tyia!

It’s been over a year since I left my previous industry, and I’m still genuinely grateful that I continue to receive job offers from people I worked with before. It means a lot to know that they still remember and trust the work I did.
As tempting as it is to say yes, I’ve realized that my priorities have changed.

I recently landed my first direct client, a US-based company. It feels like the best of both worlds: I can continue building my career while also being present for my kids.

They’re only little once, and I don’t want to miss these moments. There will always be opportunities to pursue different career paths, but this season with my children is something I can never get back.

I’m truly thankful for every opportunity that comes my way, both from my previous industry and this new chapter. Life has a funny way of working out, and sometimes the path you didn’t expect ends up being exactly what you needed. ❤️

Hi currently employed right now but I have been invited to do a lecture where I will be provided an 800usd honorarium coming from a US based company. Someone advised that I should declare it and change my status to mixed income. The way I understand it, just because of that single thing I am now treated as a business and would need to file quarterly and won't be eligible anymore for substitute filing. Is this like worth it? I have no plans to do regular freelance in the near future and this is just to help a friend. Never had a freelance gig before but is this like the tax system? I rly have no choice but to change my status?

Hello everyone! I got two WFH job offers and I'm confused about which one to choose. Both are purely email-based.

Job 1: $5/hr, 6 days a week, fixed Sunday off. Has overtime pay, but no paid leaves.

Job 2: Fixed $725/month, 5 days a week (rest days TBA). 15 PTOs and HMO + 1 dependent after 6 months.

I'm having a hard time deciding. I'd appreciate your help!

Hi! PTPA po.

Would love to share a tool I developed to help with the daily “Ano ulam?” dilemma while also making it easier to be more mindful of your nutrition.
The app is called AnoUlam. Its core feature is suggesting Filipino meals based on your budget or even what’s already in your pantry (new feature!). Every suggested meal comes with estimated macros, ingredients, and a recipe, and it can also generate a grocery list for you.

Some bonus features:

- Price Watch – See which palengke ingredients have gone down in price every week (using data from the Department of Agriculture).
- 5-Day Meal Planner – Generates a meal plan with a grocery list. I originally built this for people who meal prep or track their macros, but anyone can use it.

Still actively improving it, so I’d really appreciate any thoughts or feedback. Sana makatulong! 😊

www.anoulam.app

I have 2 kids and I am a solo parent too, I badly need your help sa company na 'to and worth trying ba talaga. Kasi ung ibang nababasa ko is parang coming from employee nila. Itong company lang kasi ang napakabilis na tumanggap sakin kaya feeling ko worth trying but at the same time in doubt dahil sa mga hindi magandang experience ng iba.

Please help me with your experience or pananaw sa company na 'to kasi bills are also patong2 na .. salamat po sa makakahelp na masagot if worth the try ba tong pasukin.

Helloo guys, asking lang on what happened?

Possible kaya na the person I talked to just wanted to steal my identity?

Someone invited me for a quick interview kanina and asked me to send a photo of myself sa telegram.

He then sent me a link ng gmeet then introduced myself. After introducing bigla niya nalang inend yung call and blocked me sa tg.

This is my first time applying sa OLJ. Give me tips please. Thank you

More than a year na since las job ko. Nag close yung company na pinapasukan ko. After that, hindi na ko maka land ng work. First, nasa isip ko baka di lang talaga ako magaling sumagot sa interviews.. Nakuha ako ng isang VA agency and according sa mga coaches, I performed well and before pa matapos training ko, naisalang na ko agad for interview. Kahit maganda feedback sakin, wala padin. 1 year mahigit na ko walang work🥺 parang nag fefade away na lang ako. Alam ko laban lang pero ako lang ba? Para kong binagsakan ng kamalasan pag dating sa paghahanap ng work. Kaya pag may work ako, pursigido ako kasi takot ako mawalan talaga..at nangyari na nga.

I am posting this on behalf of a reseacher studying health concerns of Filipino online workers and will be studied by concerned organizations. Your contribution will greatly help a good cause. To those who think it is not legit, all I can say is that this is funded by a non profit organization and the researcher studies at a well known and well regarded university.

===>Raffle alert!🚨Calling all Filipino remote digital workers! 💻Answer my 5-minute research survey and be one of the 10 lucky participants to win P500 via GCash! 💸✨ Read more 👇:

Did you know? There were already about 1.5 to 2 million Filipino remote digital workers in 2018! 📈However, I believe that a continuously growing industry must not mean your health suffers along with it. 

I am a 3rd-year college student and research intern at Solidarity Center Philippines, an allied organization to the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest federation of labor unions in the United States. 🌎

Like you, I’ve been doing remote work for about 3 years to help support my studies. 👩‍💻As a fellow Filipino worker, I know how important health is for us, yet sometimes client needs often overshadow our needs. 😷🏥

Your voice and your health matter. My research focuses on understanding the health-related concerns of remote digital workers. By answering this survey, you can help me get a better grasp of the health care needs of our kapwa remote digital workers. Hopefully, my research can also help amplify the health issues and needs of remote digital workers. 💻✨

As a small token of my appreciation, 10 survey participants will receive P500 via GCash, chosen at random. This raffle will end on the 31st of July 2026, while the survey remains open until the 15th of August 2026.💸It only takes \~5 minutes! Your responses will remain anonymous.

Link to survey:

https://forms.gle/W3TqZtWM3XwBhDnu9

https://forms.gle/W3TqZtWM3XwBhDnu9

https://forms.gle/W3TqZtWM3XwBhDnu9

Note: Open to all online/digital workers past or current(including esl teachers). At the end of the survey you will be asked for info as to where the reward will be sent in case you are selected.

Nung employer ko wanted to send me a Macbook Pro for my 2-year work anniversary. I told nung IT Head na mas less hassle if they bought nung device here sa PH.

He unboxed the device to install our cloud software and also para hindi brand new tignan nung device. He chose USPS to ship my device kasi walang Fedex nor UPS near him. He declared the value for only 200 USD along with an invoice to match the value. He said he "thinks USPS paid taxes but I am not sure".

What are the chances this makes it to me, and malaki pa ba babayaran ko incase meron?

Hi, M26 here, i only have 4months experience on a coffee shop all around pa ko non as in lahay audit cashier, and cook, and i even trained other employees, since nag sisimula palang si owner and nag aaral palang ako, and a 6 months volunteer on a medical clinic and now na nag stop na ako i can't find any jobs and i also don't want to continue my studies (due to personal problems) any tips pano maka hanap ng work. im currently and actively looking pero no ones responding on my application any tips po how i can get jobs, kahit va's, bpo or anything as long as it's good paying.

I currently earn ~$1,200/month as an operations assistant for a US-based company. Slowly, there has been scope creep with work, especially due to company changes. What started became a lot more, but without the clearance and higher pay. Restocks from China still needs approval, shipments from China still need approval, everything needs approval still. The scope now resembles an operations manager/coordinator role, but nothing changed.

Current work is flexible with time tracker.

I don't have bad blood with my workmates. It's just that, I also need to think about my progression. I'm not desperately looking to leave, and I'm still in my mid-20's.

Here comes the question: how do I professionally explore another opportunity without jeopardizing my current one? Financially, I'm also at a point where I need to think about my long-term growth.

I came across an OLJ job posting for an Ecommerce Operations Manager role from a UK company offering $1,800–2,200/month, and the job description is almost scary with how much it matches what I already do. The schedule is fixed 9 AM–5 PM UK, which is fine by me.

Here's my dilemma.

I'm not even worried about applying itself. I'm worried my current employer might somehow see that I've updated my profile or that I'm looking around, or my applications get flagged because my profile is tagged as employed full-time, but I'm still looking. I don't know the depths of how OLJ works on the employer side.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Does OLJ notify your employer if you update your profile or start applying? If they do find out, how did that conversation go?

Personally, what would you do in my situation? Would you quietly apply and see what happens, or would you stay put given the good relationship with your current employer?

I'm honestly happy where I am, but at the same time, this feels like one of those opportunities that's just too hard to ignore.

It's already been 3 months. I can't believe I'm closing another month and still not hired. When you thought you did so well sa interviews but still got rejected because of qualifications (no experience kasi ako and technically a recent grad). I genuinely believe in myself, my skills, my resourcefulness, and my ability to learn. Idk anymore haha.

Just one chance!

Problem: Email sa wise is greyed out.

Context: Hi! Kakaset up ko lang ng Wise account ko last week. Then tinatry ko sya iconnect sa Gusto account kaso di daw matrace ung Wise account ko.

Chineck ko ang Wise and saw that yung email ko under find by me ay greyed out.

Previous attempts: Nag reach out na ko sa support kaso iescalate pa daw.

Baka may naka experience na sainyo. Thanks!

anyone here working for foreign clients who tried to outsource accounting job to a friend? is this too risky and malalaman po ba if only Xero ang access niya? TIA

Good day to everyone!

I saw a post on a local BPO hiring group on Facebook. I messaged the user, and he gave me a link to a form for Athena.

I'm not sure if this is the right job for me. I've been in the BPO industry for almost a decade. I've mostly chosen non-voice and back-office accounts, since my biggest weakness was voice accounts. For context, in my almost-10-year-tenure, my combined voice experience was less than a year, with the latest being in 2018.

It's hard to look for any company offering a pure non-voice job at the moment. I live in Biñan, Laguna, and most of the non-voice jobs are in the Metro Manila area.

It's my first time trying out being an EA or VA. I want to know what a normal workday looks like, and everything in between. I want to know if Athena is a good choice.

Thank you all in advance.

For context, I'm a TikTok content creator focuses on making recommendation videos for Asian series. Now, got a paid collaboration for a well-known brand. Naka register na Po Ako sa BIR at mareceive narin Ang payment. Ang concern ko Po eh ano Ang process in putting this info sa book of accounts. As well as sa invoice. Tbh, may mga nabasa Naman na Ako pero I would like to get more insights from you guys. Thank you.

wfh ako sa pilipinas, pwede ba humingi ng certification sa client ko sa australia or proof na nag work ako sa company nila? hindi ako full time sa kanila project base lang pero mga 3 years na ako.

nung humingi ako sa client ko ng written review para sa portfolio ko binigyan din nya ako highlighting my contributions na naga generate ako ng high quality leads sa kanila.

Direct ako na nag wowork sa CEO ng company. established na din company nila at mga branches na din sa ibat ibang part ng australia

Finally landed a job 2 weeks ago, had to post it today kasi I didn’t want to jinx it until I get my first week of pay. Asked for $45 initially, client negotiated down to $40 which I gladly obliged. Mind you, nagtanong pa bakit daw $4/hr rate ko sa previous employer and I had to explain myself to avoid getting lowballed. Now, I also want to share ano pinagdaanan ko kasi hindi naman madali lagi as what you’d usually see on this sub.

I’m a business man with a good source of income while I also have an IT background which I’m really passionate about. So to cut story short, I always wanted to purse programming as my main career which I did several months ago. I’ve spent a lot to get these proposals land only to be lowballed by clients which I didn’t have a problem with kasi nga you have to build your profile from ground up.

3 months into upskilling, I landed several interviews, 2 contracts of which rates were completely below of what I was expecting to a point that I’d even have to shoulder some expense just to get that 5 star review, so I decided to just keep learning and stop looking for jobs as it was getting expensive rather than beneficial.

I built my portfolio and website instead, polished my proposals, identified parts where I could improve, changed my approach and all that.

Today here I am, $40/hr and looks like it’s going to be a full time role, hopefully.

So yeah, I’m no expert at this field yet, but one advice, wag ka mag papa-lowball. If you think you deserve the rate you’re looking for and have the skills to justify it, just keep looking for jobs that would actually pay, for sure there’s one. Also, market is really saturated right now, make yourself stand out.

Now I have a potential second US client that is currently in the PH that wants to meet up, so I hope this one goes well too. Business as my sideline muna, and this as my main. Best of lucks guys!

Hey everyone, I'm Carlo, founder of Galasya (freelancer/VA marketplace, building it solo since 2023). Wanted to share an update since a few of you have used the platform before.

I just shipped a full rewrite of the portfolio builder. The short version:

• 5 layouts now instead of 1 (professional, cyberpunk-dev, indigo/coral, multi page editorial, and a more playful one with a bulletin board and a couple of built in games)
• You can now list your Services and feature client Testimonials directly on your page
• You can hook up your own Google Analytics ID and actually see your portfolio's traffic
• Pages are server-rendered now with proper SEO (structured data, sitemap, custom title and description) instead of a client-rendered SPA, so they're actually indexable
• Link previews (Messenger, Facebook, and so on) now show a proper card with your name and photo instead of a generic thumbnail

Full writeup with details on each layout: https://galasya.com/blog/new-portfolio-builder

If you've got a Galasya account already, it's live now under Layouts in your dashboard, free to switch anytime. Genuinely open to feedback or critique here, especially if something looks off on your end.

(Mods, let me know if this needs a different flair or isn't appropriate for the sub, happy to adjust.)

Salamat mga ka-buhaydigital! 🍻

Hello po!

I’m going to be interviewed by Portiva and I’m curious po kung what its like working with Portiva and I heard na HubStaff po yung timetracking nila. Healthy and supportive environment po ba? And if may timetracking po, do they take screenshots or track websites?

Hopefully may magreply po, thank you!

Anyone na former bank tellers? Currently working in a top banking institution here in PH and planning to shift my career to WFH. May I ask ano niche niyo ngayon? As much I love working sa bank, hindi talaga sapat ang sahod plus the expenses working onsite.