We live in a time when more and more professionals around the world are starting to live a freelance lifestyle. We can say that many look at freelancing as their future, especially when they see some of the success stories. Some of them are completely dedicated to freelancing, while others do it in addition to their regular work. One of them is James Aquino, top rated freelancer on UpWork.

James grew up in the Philippines and completed a bachelor’s degree in Nursing, has been happily married for more than a decade and blessed with two daughters. He has several part-time jobs online, all of them through UpWork, work as a freelance writer, copyeditor, and social media manager. James also supporting numerous projects overseas, including Japan, South Korea, Italy, and Libya.

So, what were the reasons to start freelancing?

I started freelancing out of curiosity. I registered in oDesk (now UpWork) in 2008 just because I got interested and curious about how online jobs work. At that time, I was only familiar with traditional types of work that require you to be physically working in an office. While I started my freelancing journey in 2008, it was only in the late 2014 that I aggressively pursued it as a career. I never looked back since, and I believe it is one of my best life decisions ever.

How did you learn to be a freelancer? Did you have help, or did you research it yourself and where?

Freelancing itself is still not completely embraced and understood. I believe the concept of remote work was only highlighted by the pandemic, and I love that more people are appreciating this type of work setup. In the past, the main misconception about freelancing and remote work is that we are just sitting in front of our computers and typing stuff. Now, people are discovering that freelancing is much more than that.

I love to write, and this is a skill I learned to improve through the years until it became my primary skill as a freelancer. When I was starting out, it was a bit of a challenge because resources back then are not as abundant as what we have now. Years ago, you need to find the resources yourself, and you should have the initiative to do it because no one will do it for you. So, what I did is to surf the internet for courses on writing and proper negotiation with clients, and those small steps turned into bigger leaps into what I am today.

Have you tried working on different platforms?

I tried onlinejobs.ph, Indeed, and even LinkedIn, but for me, the leverage and dynamics I found in UpWork is unmatched. I think they have found the perfect recipe to make things work in the world of freelancing.

What are the advantages of working on UpWork?

I can go on and on about the advantages of working on UpWork for the number of years I’ve been in the platform. However, the three main advantages of UpWork compared to other freelancing platforms are security, legitimacy, and exceptional freelancer experience.

There is security in terms of guarantee that your efforts will be paid based on the prevailing company policies. While I consider UpWork to be platform that is not perfect as there are still some clients who are problematic or fraudulent, the incidence is way fewer than those in other platforms. There is this great sense of security that the money you worked hard for will be properly processed and transmitted to you.

Legitimacy is one of UpWork’s strongest selling points. Being one of the first freelancing platforms, it continues to prove itself as one of the best freelancing platforms out there.

Experience has and always been amazing, from customer service to community discussions, to updates. In fact, I was able to share my knowledge and expertise when I was invited to do a speaking engagement for UpWork last June 2021 held online. I was able to talk about my experience and what can be done beyond your successful freelance journey.

What are the biggest benefits of a freelance lifestyle for you?

Definitely the freedom to live the life you want. As someone maintaining both an office job and freelance work at the same time, I feel more secure and confident about my freelance lifestyle. That’s why I already considered to dropping my “day job” back in 2019. The freedom and flexibility to work anywhere is an amazing and life-changing experience. Therefore I encourage others to give it a shot, even just for once.

And what are the disadvantages?

While I don’t directly consider this a disadvantage, the freelancing lifestyle requires considerable commitment and discipline to make things work. In a traditional office setup, your mind is programmed to do just that – work. When you have the freedom to work at your own pace, at the comfort of your own home, it will be challenging because all the distractions are there – from television, internet, to food, and of course, the bed.