My friend and I were meditating over the greater questions in life, such as the meaning of llama fur, and he turned to me and asked, “So, is using oDesk an economically viable option for developing my career?” I turned to him and said, “My child, you are wise to consult me on these matters. To answer your question, you must travel into the mountains and contemplate this stone,” I said as I handed him a banana, “for seven years. After those years are completed, come back down, and you will know the answer.”

He’s up in the mountains right now. I don’t think he will figure out the answer by contemplating a banana–err, stone. However, that got him out of my hair for a while. Seriously–asking me questions like that while I’m thinking about something as awesome as llama fur. I had to get rid of him somehow.

However, it gave me a good idea for a post on here, so I’ll go ahead and tell you folks my thoughts.

Is it worth it?

Short answer: maybe. It really depends on how hard you work and how long you work. A little bit of luck doesn’t hurt either. When it comes to freelancing on any level, you get what you put in. Many people have asked me if it’s a wise career move to move to freelancing, and I can’t give them a straight answer because it requires a lot of elbow grease. Some are willing to put it in and some aren’t.

I make a living completely off of freelance writing, and I’m definitely not starving because of it. I know many programmers who make some serious bank doing freelance programming. It’s not a question of how much you can make because you set your own rate. You may look at the average rate of $10 (not researched, just a figure I threw out) on oDesk, and you’d go, “Hmm…this doesn’t pay enough to survive on.” True. For me at least. However, I’m not taking jobs for $10 an hour. Instead, apply to long term jobs for $25, $50, or $100 an hour.

Yes, they’re out there. Yes, you can get them if you’re qualified. How do you get qualified? By doing several jobs for less and working your way up. If at all possible, have a safety net while you’re developing your career. If you’re married and your spouse has an income, that works great! You can work your way up the chain until you’re able to hold your own. Still, there’s always the danger that you’ll “settle” into a wage, so you want to keep moving on up until you hit a real plateau where your pay and ability meet.

It’s an odd concept for many people, and I’ve found it hard to explain the simple concept in terms they can understand. You get exactly what you put into it. If you want to make more money freelancing, get more or better credentials and invest more time. If you don’t mind taking a pay cut in return for ample free time, take fewer jobs and work less. To strike a balance between the two, work very hard in the beginning to build your reputation, and later, you can ease off of the amount of work you do and work for a higher rate half-time. The possibilities are endless, and it’s entirely up to you what happens.

Set your own rate, make your own schedule, decide how much work you will do, and be your own boss. It sounds impossible, but it’s a reality. Thankfully, oDesk makes it much easier.

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