I know what you’re thinking: another clickbait title from someone trying to sell you a course. But I promise this is different. This is me documenting my freelancing journey raw and unfiltered. So if you’re here for that, I genuinely appreciate your support, and I’d love your feedback along the way.
Okay, so let’s see how I got my first 1000 USD on Upwork and my biggest achievement of becoming a top-rated freelancer. 1000 USD might sound small, but the hardest milestone to crack.
A little about me
Im a software engineer with 6+ years of experience. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in 2019, and straight away, I joined the industry while in my last year of my degree. I was able to get into an internship where I started learning how the industry works.
After that, I worked across 5 different companies, with different tech stacks, team cultures, and problem-solving approaches. Today, I work as a Senior Software Engineer. While it seemed stable, it has become a hell of a roller coaster for the past couple of months, with AI taking over the industry. That’s what pushed me to find another income stream.
Setting up a profile
I created my Upwork profile about 2-3 years ago, and it was a dead account. No work, no clients.
In 2025, luckily, I stumbled across a friend who was genuinely making a living out of Upwork. He was in to 3d modeling related niche, and he was landing a good amount of clients and projects consistently. So I got into a conversation with him, and here’s what I learned.
Picking up a niche
When you start freelancing, it’s not about putting everything you think you can do out there. Clients look for a more specific set of skills and work.
For this, you need to understand what’s in demand in the freelance market and what clients are looking for. And it’s best to start with a skill you are actually capable of and can deliver confidently, not just pay the most.
Complete the profile 100%
The first thing he told me was simple: complete your profile. Not just fill it in, but actually nail every section that a client sees when they land on your page.
Here’s what I updated to hit that 100%:
- Title
- Hourly rate
- Description
- Portfolio projects
- Introduction video
- Certifications
- Work experience
Landing the First Job (The Hardest Part)
Once you find your niche and completed your profile 100% next thing is to get the first client.
I felt this was the hardest part and the point where most people give up.
My first job on Upwork
I was hired to interview a Java candidate on behalf of a client. The fun fact is I’m still working with that same client today. That one job made a huge impact on my profile, helped me earn my first $1,000, and is what got me to Top Rated.
While looking for jobs, I mainly targeted lower competition listings first. I focused on clients who had their payment verified, good ratings, and fewer proposals on the job.
Also, I made sure to stay online as much as possible to respond to clients as fast as I could.
Delivering Work That Gets You 5-Star Reviews
Once you get the job, the real work begins. Here are a few things my friend suggested:
- Communicate throughout the project
- Set clear expectations upfront to avoid scope creep
- Deliver on time
- At the end, politely ask for a review
So this is a cycle: keep the ball rolling, build your ratings, and eventually you’ll start receiving jobs without even sending a proposal.
These are the results from everything I tried, from September 2025 to April 2026:
- 11 Jobs
- 72 Hours worked
- $1,054 Earned
- 100% Job Success Score
- Top Rated ⭐
Important note: My friend advised me to get the freelancer plus membership.
Not sure how it works, but after getting the membership, I was able to land more jobs.
So averagely I have earned 1054/7 = 150 USD per month as a side income. Since I’m now toprated I’m planning to boost my profile so I can get more jobs.
$1,054 in 7 months. Top Rated. And I’m just getting started. If you’re sitting on a dead Upwork profile right now, this is your sign to wake it up.
I’ll keep posting updates and sharing everything I learn along the way. If you’re on a similar journey, let’s grow together.
Drop your feedback in the comments. I’d love to hear what you think and what I can do better.