Today, there are several sites that post open jobs or temporary gigs for freelance professionals. There are jobs for programming, writing, web development and much more. These sites help companies find professionals with applied skills. With temporary contracts, employers do not have to spend more money to keep skilled workers on staff. Also, these sites simplify the process of finding work for freelancers. One of the most popular sites for freelancers and employers to contact one another is Upwork. It has been a popular place for several years. However, there are also similar sites such as Fiverr and Freelancer. Upwork is a good place for talented individuals such as game developer Emmanuel Omene to make money.

Emmanuel Omene’s Path To Success

Emmanuel was born and raised in Nigeria. When he was young, he watched his older brother practice coding on the computer. Emmanuel tried to copy what his brother did, and he taught himself to code over the years. He developed a strong interest in web development. As a bright young man, he was invited to study physiology at a prestigious school in Nigeria. Emmanuel accepted the invitation but completed many independent web development jobs to earn money during his time there. He was so overwhelmed with work that he had to outsource some gigs to other freelance workers.

After a while, Emmanuel gained an interest in game development. With his self-starting positive attitude, he found ways to learn game development skills through free platforms and tutorials. Emmanuel realized that he needed to improve and expand his skills to become a professional game developer. However, he was at a critical point in his life where he had to decide whether to become a doctor or a web developer. After he made a program called Sango Run, he set his heart on game development.

In 2015, Emmanuel started his first project for game development. He honed his skills and kept up with changing trends and technologies. While he pursued freelance work, he also worked for Gamesole. Emmanuel dreamed of owning his own game development company one day, and he worked with several organizations to solve issues that all developers faced. Wages in Nigeria were not good when Emmanuel worked for Gamesole. With other financial responsibilities, it was hard for him to save money to start his own company. Not many investors wanted to put money into a Nigerian gaming company because of the many risks. At that time, Emmanuel realized that he would have to do more freelance work to save extra money.

One problem that Emmanuel and other honest Nigerian freelancers faced then and still face today is a stigma about Nigeria. Since a large number of scams originate in Nigeria, many foreign people do not trust Nigerian freelancers. Nigerian workers often change their names on their profiles when they seek work because of how hard it is to secure contracts. Scam artists created a major obstacle for Emmanuel. However, he overcame that with persistence and hard work. He earned a good reputation on Upwork, which allows clients to rate their experiences with freelancers. When other employers saw that Emmanuel did a good job, they also hired him for projects. As a smart businessman, Emmanuel has a competitive hourly rate of $35 for his services. He started at a lower rate. Today, he has completed more than 50 major jobs and has logged over 1,600 hours on Upwork.

Upwork: A Tech Job Goldmine

Upwork has been around for over 10 years. It started in Silicon Valley when a professional wanted to hire a colleague in Greece to complete a job. While he knew that his foreign friend would be perfect for the project, the process of working with someone overseas posed many challenges. Those difficulties led to a bright entrepreneurial opportunity, and creative thinking led to Upwork. Today, it is a busy gig platform that has thousands of listings. For professionals who want to work independently, the site is the perfect place to find regular work.

The number of tech jobs on Upwork has grown significantly during the past few years. As more companies move the majority of their operations online, they need professionals who can do networking, web development, SEO marketing, digital security and much more. Some categories have grown faster than others recently. For example, the demand for blockchain engineers increased by nearly 6,000 percent. This is because the need for blockchain-based security is growing. However, the number of people who are familiar with blockchain development is minimal and is growing slowly because of a lack of qualified educational resources. When companies use Upwork, they can select from about 3,500 skill categories. Also, many categories cover more than one industry. With Upwork, professionals and companies can communicate, arrange contract terms and set up transactions securely.