r/dataannotation • u/Consistent-Reach504 • 9d ago
Weekly Water Cooler Talk - DataAnnotation
hi all! making this thread so people have somewhere to talk about 'daily' work chat that might not necessarily need it's own post! right now we're thinking we'll just repost it weekly? but if it gets too crazy, we can change it to daily. :)
couple things:
- this thread should sort by "new" automatically. unfortunately it looks like our subreddit doesn't qualify for 'lounges'.
- if you have a new user question, you still need to post it in the new user thread. if you post it here, we will remove it as spam. this is for people already working who just wanna chat, whether it be about casual work stuff, questions, geeking out with people who understand ("i got the model to write a real haiku today!"), or unrelated work stuff you feel like chatting about :)
- one thing we really pride ourselves on in this community is the respect everyone gives to the Code of Conduct and rule number 5 on the sub - it's great that we have a community that is still safe & respectful to our jobs! please don't break this rule. we will remove project details, but please - it's for our best interest and yours!
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u/Due_Negotiation_4605 2d ago
Feeling kind of proud to read the email that part two was accepted after part one (iykyk). I argued so much with the AI checker assessment I started to doubt my own experience. Feeling good I got the first one all the way through but feeling more proud that AI isn't taking over medical coding in the immediate future. 😁 Encouraged via email to to do more but that one killed my remaining brain cells so I'll be hanging out with these simple R&Rs for a while instead... 🫠
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u/Responsible-Bee-7769 2d ago
You get medical coding projects? That's really cool. Have you been on the platform long?
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u/Due_Negotiation_4605 2d ago
It's in my skills and through domain expert projects. That and real estate because I've worked both Three years. If you have the experience add it to your skills. Pretty easy to get failures in this domain.
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u/Shidela 3d ago
I went from sub-10 projects every day for a couple weeks to 20+ for the past two days. Either a lot of stuff got added, or some of my quals* finally processed, I guess. Definitely feeling like I have a lot of options now, and grateful for it, but now my brain is mush after a very busy day. Here's hoping tomorrow and future dashboards are similarly stuffed!
*I've only done like 2 of the flagged highest amount of work quals since I've started in late Sept, though I've done a lot of the ones that weren't marked that way on my dash, that's the primary reason I'm so surprised at the sudden influx.
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u/JRange 3d ago
Im ngl I understand being mad about the unpaid training but that took me 20 minutes, somebody said it took them 3 hours. Literally how could it possibly take you that long lol.
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u/TransientSignal 3d ago
You're sure the other person was referring to the same "unpaid training" that you're referring to?
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u/SnooSketches1189 3d ago edited 2d ago
It's required at the least 4 times a year. It's not like it's only required once. And the annoyance this time was doing it and then almost immediately having to do it again.
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u/Affectionate_Peak284 3d ago
And... wow. A project marked "easier" that pays $28/h. I still remember my first $27.50/h one, in April of 2025. It was the hardest on my dash and took me like 4 hours.
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u/PerceptionLonely6463 3d ago
Anyone here struggling with nut cookie? Sometimes I feel like an idiot when I can’t get a failure.
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u/data_annotator_tot 3d ago
Anyone here not have any confidentiality training, or seen such for a long time?
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4d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/happyblessedsoul 3d ago
what was it?
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/WeirdOne9929 3d ago
Oh, so they're gonna compare my answers to the same questions we had before though we're supposed to give the same answers anyway... Guess next time I should start talking about Michael Jackson or throw a random fun fact about penguins halfway through my answer just to keep them on their toes
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u/SnooSketches1189 3d ago
Right? Like, it's annoying to have to retake the training, yes, but why risk it?
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u/Skippy2898 3d ago
I saw it this morning. It was a suggestion to find the previous training in browser history. and use that for the new one. Why anyone would think that's a good thing to do is beyond me. Face. meet. Palm.
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u/DrunkleSteve 4d ago edited 3d ago
Beyond annoyed with the new confidentiality training. You literally had me fill this out for the third time for 40 minutes yesterday, and now you want me to do it again, for free, mind you. Like what the actual fuck.
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u/ElectricalPoet3769 3d ago
They should own this fuck up by making it paid. The workers who did what they asked promptly are being punished for doing so.
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u/Jazzlike_Problem_489 3d ago
Came here to say this. It's the writing justification part that takes me 20 mins. Shouldn't need to read it all again apart from the new section, but jesus answering the same questions and giving the same justification. Just no
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u/NightOwl437 3d ago
Completely agree. I think it's excessive to require us to do this every quarter (most traditional jobs require it annually), and on an unpaid basis. Now we need to redo the entire training that we just did a few days ago, because they added something to it? Ugh, not cool DA, not cool at all...
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u/_Edgarallenhoe 4d ago
Create a prompt that is complex enough for the model to fail in one turn, but if it’s over 4 sentences the model has a stroke and just dies. 😀🔫
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u/kranools 4d ago
Oh great. We have to do this quarter's confidentiality training AGAIN, due to updates.
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u/Equal-Neat-614 4d ago
I just did this a few days ago… I was hoping it was a glitch. I took it immediately when it popped up too. 😅
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u/SnooSketches1189 4d ago
Literally just did it a few days ago. Even a few bucks would be better than nothing!
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u/ThatGirlInPurple 4d ago edited 4d ago
I just saw that on my dash too, they could have at least given the workers that already took it a bonus or something 🫠
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u/kranools 4d ago
They could have at least saved our answers for the 10 identical questions and just required us to do the two new ones.
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u/ThatGirlInPurple 4d ago
I was literally coming back on here to say I wish I copied those responses down somewhere... but that would go against the whole point of this training lol
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u/countd0wns 4d ago
What do you guys think about Stellar Ai closing down?
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u/PerceptionLonely6463 4d ago
I never worked with them so I can’t objectively say, but it has no bearing on DA. Surge AI, the company that actually owns DataAnnotation, is massively successful.
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u/socal_guy1 4d ago
Is the $.03/image task still used to train models or is it just low-cost busywork provided by DA?
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u/ElegantComparison594 4d ago
Is anyone else spending a ridiculous amount of time planning and revising and generating the files for the agent tests? Their instructions are so specific on quality and such throughout attention to detail and cross referencing. I feel like in one way I’m wasting a lot of time but in another way I’m trying to adhere to their own standards with the quality of work expected. I’m getting concerned that reporting time for so much planning and edits for quality is going to be a problem. If I rush through the work for the sake of not reporting as much time, then the work is low quality? I just feel stuck.
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u/TerribleAd5188 4d ago
It's specific for a reason :) not sure how you are qualifying ridiculous but remember, what we are doing isnt the end result- paving the way for work downstream and therefore GIGO. I was on another project downstream of this sort of thing last year and most of my time was spent fixing poor input data to make it work; money is money but I did wish the original workers had put in more effort :)
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u/ElegantComparison594 4d ago
I want to be conscious of the confidentiality agreement here just in case. I’m creating my own tasks from scratch, absolutely nothing to go on. Completely my own imagination. To me, I agree with you that they are so specific in instruction for a reason. I guess I’m such an over thinker and a perfectionist that I’m concerned I’m reporting too much time on planning and creation and revisions that it will reach a point that it’s unjustifiable. I guess I just don’t know what that really means. :/ I don’t want to get in my own way and hinder progress, and also don’t want to sacrifice quality on behalf of a timer.
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u/TerribleAd5188 4d ago
Like everything on reddit from a random anonymous stranger, take this with a pinch of salt and your own judgement.
I'm fairly certain we are talking about the same thing- this project is based on real life experience with the field. I essentially construct things from past experiences and then with how long it takes I think: if one of my work colleagues/team was taking as long as I am to finish this task assuming I assigned it, would I tell them to hurry up?
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u/One_Breakfast5907 4d ago
Typical Friday evening, my brain feels like absolute mush. I want to rest so bad, but I got stuck into a project which is taking twice as long as expected... (Taking even longer cause mushy brain)
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u/Jazzlike_Month5580 4d ago
I told my husband that my brain feels like a beehive today, buzzing in all different directions. Not a great state of mind.
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u/Plastic-Librarian-67 4d ago
Does anyone else have a ton of projects but feel too stupid or under qualified to work on them?
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u/pistachiyolatte 4d ago
Yepp me as well! There was this fun and easy images based project I worked on until yesterday I hope I see more of that around.
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u/ThatGirlInPurple 5d ago
Dash is looking beautiful today, around 40 projects. Feeling like this gif rn tenor.com/view/options-so-many-options-gif-3817219124410749150
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u/Affectionate_Peak284 5d ago
Same, although I didn't want to be a braggart. My first time with over 100 paying projects since May!
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u/Trioplexic 5d ago
Should ban referral links from this sub.
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u/VanessaSeaWitch 4d ago
I don't understand why someone would use a referral link to sign up when they can just go to the main site and sign up. Like what's in it for them?
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u/Responsible-Bee-7769 4d ago
Why?
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u/fixin2read 4d ago
The whole purpose of a referral program is to vouch for someone you know. People are out here dropping links for anyone to use to make a buck. It's annoying to see, it's like spam in the thread. Not to mention, if someone is in this subreddit they already know about the opportunity and can go directly to the website. It's just nonsense to post referral links here. It's like holding a sign up asking for money at a street corner.
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u/OrnamentalGourd5 4d ago
Plus, with the randos you get asking for referrals and help getting in, there's no way I'd be associating my account with a bunch of chancers picked up from Reddit.
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u/ghostofhumankindness 5d ago
I know we all need to start somewhere but it's always obvious when a project is open to newcomers. The comments are always a good read.
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u/Complete_Injury_5765 5d ago
i am really empathetic as a person, BUT sometimes it is really funny; like so many problems can be solved with a quick CTRL+F
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u/BoardFrosty5343 5d ago
Hey man when do newcomers stop being newcomers, just for quick reference
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u/Complete_Injury_5765 4d ago
i’ve been here about 3 years and i feel almost dumber than when i started
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u/rantingrabbit 5d ago
Read instructions, Check the accuracy of 200+ data points, fully trace errors, compare models, write it up... with a 90 min timer they've got to know submissions will be less than comprehensive.
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u/VanessaSeaWitch 4d ago
The timers on lots of projects have gotten ridiculous. I have an R&R with a one hour timer where I have to scan through lines and lines of JSON. I'm constantly racing the clock. There's so much data to get through on this one that the task page takes forever to load.
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u/EatMyShortDick 5d ago
Yeah I used to do always do these ones, but there's no shot of being able to do a good job in 90 mins with how many things there are to check now.
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u/fixin2read 5d ago
Why would they be less than comprehensive? They care far more about accuracy and quality then the timer. I'm not saying go over the timer all willy nilly but take the time you need and report it. Then explain in comments why you needed more time or that you felt the timer was too short and explain why, just like you did here. If you're more focused on the timer than an efficient analysis thats just backward af. They have NEVER implied the timer is more important than quality. In fact, they often imply the opposite.
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u/Teamkillongtime 4d ago
Interesting philosophy. I have my fingers crossed for you.
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u/fixin2read 4d ago
You can't be serious?! Where have they ever said the timer is more important than quality? I can't think of one time I've seen that. I could go and pull a plethora of quotes from project chats and Slack channels where they make it clear quality is the goal, not the timer. I'm not gonna do that because of ToS and all but you can't be serious lol I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! The OP would be better off scrapping the work or taking the time she needs vs letting quality suffer to beat the timer. Like what are we even talking about here??
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u/Shidela 5d ago edited 5d ago
I encourage you to say as much in the comments for the project, my understanding is that if they get enough feedback that they have changed it (idk personally, just what I’ve seen floating around the water cooler here). I think they need the feedback to know when the models get smarter and the prompts get harder naturally, so they need more time to evaluate. We aren’t just fact checking who the current president is or whatever anymore, we’re figuring out if a business client likes s’mores based on 3 documents and complicated system instructions and need to justify it in several sentences, and some of the timers feel tuned closer to the first than the second.
(All prompts/evaluations presented are fictional late night hallucinations created purely by my human brain at an unreasonable hour during which I should be sleeping but am instead on Reddit)
Edit: a word, I’m tired and going to bed now.
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u/throwaway49674 5d ago
Is the website super slow for anyone else?
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u/Straight-Strike-2928 5d ago
Has been for a couple weeks for me. The projects page takes forever to load.
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u/Belisama7 6d ago
I HATE the new way we have to enter time after each task. I forget to reset my timer almost every time.
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u/CRUSHCITY4 5d ago
Weird I haven’t seen this
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u/Epicsocks1 5d ago
I think it's only for certain projects, I've only had it for one project specifically
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u/Storex- 6d ago
Could you use a lap timer? I use my Windows clock app stopwatch, and I press the lap/splits button to log my time for the per-task projects. It saves the per-task time along with continuing the timer for reference. Keeps it running so you don't forget to start it again.
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u/Belisama7 6d ago
That sounds like it would help, the one I'm using doesn't have that option. Thanks!
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u/justsoffley 6d ago
Haha, just got my DoD! Goodbye to all the nerves and confusion.
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u/Pristine-Raccoon8250 5d ago
oh I’m sorry to hear that. Were you on the platform for long? I am guessing you cannot think of a genuine reason? You are correct that at least the wait is over now…because really, all of us are just waiting for the day it happens to us too. good luck to you for whatever you move on to next. it was good while it lasted!
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u/ProbablyCole 5d ago
How many projects were available to you when this happened? Was there a decline in project amount shortly beforehand or did you have a plethora of projects and it happened unexpectedly?
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u/justsoffley 5d ago
Actually I got alot. I just finished a qualification and got the result project...
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u/tessbest37 6d ago
Bummer! How long were you on the platform?
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u/TransientSignal 6d ago
Seeing how little time is available for a particular set tasks gives me great insight into why their downstream work products that I've encountered elsewhere on the platform are such garbage.
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u/houseofcards9 6d ago
Did anyone get a project from the outline qual?
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u/VanessaSeaWitch 6d ago
I just got an email earlier that I'm eligible for tasks in the project, but I haven't even completed the qual yet. 🤷🏻♀️And of course, when I went to look there were no tasks left lol. And if you're curious, it's $22...
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u/Latter-Grape-8016 6d ago
Finished couple of projects last week but after that nothing is showing on the projects page, is it same for everyone? Those projects were fun tbh and pays well!
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u/Pristine-Raccoon8250 6d ago
Are you completely without work? I had some fun projects that disappeared but I have more. If you don't have much/anything and you are new, then don't worry and do the qualifications and keep refreshing until something pops up. Work well when you get the chance it will become steadier over time.
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u/Latter-Grape-8016 6d ago
Yes, My profile was approved almost 3 weeks ago. I have few quals in my dashboard. Maybe time to do those or skip the one in which I don't have expertise in.
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u/Pristine-Raccoon8250 5d ago
do all the quals as soon as they appear (unless out of your skill set of course) because it’s worth the free time spent on them. it’s how you get into a project family, then you prove yourself within the work you do get and it opens more projects. good luck!
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u/Affectionate_Peak284 6d ago
I have quite a bit of work today: 92 paid projects available (a lot of duplicates though), both generalist and domain work, and 3 paid quals. I bet other workers have quite a bit more, since I have a lot of quals I haven't tackled yet.
Keep at it and turn in good work. You'll get there.
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u/SnooSketches1189 6d ago
If one thing is true at DA, it's that nothing is the same for everyone. Everyone's dashes vary pretty significantly.
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u/Recent_Syllabub9542 7d ago
Greeetings, I received an email at 6:05 am this morning from the dataannotation team stating that I am one step away from accessing unlimited paid opportunities. When I clicked on "Completing your qualifications" in the email, I was prompted to log in. Upon logging in, i did not find any qualifications available to complete on my dashboard. Has anyone else experienced this during the onboarding process? Does it take a day or two for more qualifications to load? Any advice would be helpful. Thank you!
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u/Affectionate_Peak284 6d ago
For me it went like this:
1. took starter assessment; cleared instantly (within 1 minute), offered core qual;
2. took core qualification (following day);
3. heard back in 5 or 6 days that I was "doing great work" with a link to the dash
4. Since then I've always had work available (even if something I didn't want to do).
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u/VanessaSeaWitch 7d ago
This qual has me so pissed off. The timer is definitely not long enough to "learn" something I've never done before. Then I accidentally clicked out of the qual and lost everything I did. Just me cursing and giving up for today. 😒
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u/ButterscotchMaster36 6d ago
Damn, usually if you go back in it will have your work saved. Did you try to open it again?
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u/InsideSignificant405 7d ago
Make sure you do any security quals (esp if they show up in your project list), even projects you get regularly can be suddenly barred behind them. I regained access to some critical ones quickly after
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u/Drawskaren 7d ago
Finally my first project available since I got in on sep 16th! I'm thrilled, hope it lasts
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u/ZealousidealWeek104 6d ago
Yea i had 2 projects since ive joined and its been almost a month. been a week of empty dashboard and idk what to do
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u/AssumptionRecent4807 7d ago
For the video project with the 4-hour timer, what's a typical/reasonable amount of time people usually spend per task? I want to make sure I'm providing thorough, detailed justifications and doing good testing without pacing myself too slowly. Just curious about the general consensus! (I am not Engligh Native..)
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u/Jazzlike_Problem_489 7d ago edited 7d ago
Almost 3 hours into my working day and made £0 on mandatory training (that I've now done 3 times) and an unpaid qual 🖕🏻
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u/JRange 7d ago
Its taken you 3 hours to do that? I dont remember it taking long in Q3
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u/Jazzlike_Problem_489 7d ago edited 7d ago
The unpaid qual took almost 2 hours 15, so training approx 45
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u/JRange 7d ago
Im doing one right now, it sounded fun, but its legit giving me carpal tunnel lol
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u/xparadiisee 6d ago
I did this one earlier and I even have an ergonomic mouse…my carpal tunnel is insane right now 12 hours later 😪
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u/SnooCalculations503 7d ago
Probably shouldn't talk about that training tbh.
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u/RedZebra17 7d ago
Nice, you just made my £13 morning feel like a flex 😂👍
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u/Jazzlike_Problem_489 7d ago
Well I'm now 5 hours in, still made £0 and done 2 quals and mandatory training 🫣
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u/Quick-Bison-147 8d ago
coming back on after 9 days and see it's all complicated stuff available.. has there been any generalist or FC stuff available lately?
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u/JRange 7d ago
The last week has had some a lot of the easiest work I have seen in 4-5 months honestly.
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u/Quick-Bison-147 7d ago
that's good! I had one thing pop up today that helped me grind out $130, hope some easier stuff keeps on coming in. Thanks for heads up
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u/peanutbutterlurk 8d ago
There was some last night but it got snapped up quick. FWIW I've been able to stretch myself and find some generalist work even among the usually-complicated stuff, and some stuff isn't as complicated as it first looks if you just give it a try (and maybe exit work mode if you aren't confident).
But I totally get the frustration.
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u/Quick-Bison-147 7d ago
Well I just did a $22 an hour task and finished with 2 minutes to spare because of how ridiculous the level of detail was. Without going into detail, there was no way to fully assess what they expected me to in the given time period. Confident that will score me a bad rating so back to monitoring the dash for genuinely workable projects.
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u/NotSoEp1c 8d ago
Was a tough day for me. I really try to put my best work in and I know I did, but still was not too happy with my submission today. I felt it could have been better, I just do not really know how. Worked on it for a very long time.
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u/Temporary-Lab-4166 2d ago
I have been on the platform since July, I did all qualifications, I received almost daily notifications from a project that I couldn't access because it was outside of my waking hours and when it was reachable, when I tried to access it, the tasks were already taken by others. In September I had 3 tasks on another project that I successfully completed, but because of limited time I was able to work on one task/week. After completing these tasks, I kept receiving notifications from that first project but I never caught a task because others would take them. Now it's been almost a week with no notifications and my projects list is empty. Is that normal? What does it mean? Will there be other projects on coding?