u/voyageguy_

Hey everyone

Recent CS grad here, about a year into freelancing on the side(with a pakistani client who used to give me projekcts) while I look for full-time SWE roles. I finally landed my first Upwork project in Feb, got paid $45, and walked away with a 5-star review. ID is verified but I don't have the badge yet and no Plus subscription.

My stack is full-stack dev with AI integration and automation (React/Next.js, FastAPI, Supabase, GPT-4o/API integrations, workflow automation). I'm still figuring out how to actually convert small wins into consistent, better-paying work.

Would really appreciate advice on:

How should I spend my limited budget right now, go for volume (lots of bids) or be picky and target fewer, higher-fit jobs?

Is it worth getting Plus at this stage, or wait until I have more reviews/JSS built up?

Best time of day to bid so proposals actually get seen?

A good bidding strategy for bidding and closing projects.

How to utilize connects in the best way possible as i have a limited budget.

How many proposals to send per day?

Any tips specifically for full-stack + AI/automation gigs what do clients actually look for in a proposal?

How long did it realistically take you to go from first review to steady income on Upwork?

Any real talk from people who've been through this grind would help a lot. Thanks in advance 🙏

Hi everyone I'm a fresh CS grad. I graduated last month. But started looking for an ASE, SQA role 2 months. As of now i haven't found any. Applied to more than 200 posts but got to HR screening for only 2 3 roles and no response since then. I contacted a lot of people on LinkedIn to refer me because I don't have any friends or family references.

As of background info. I've been doing freelance projects with a Pakistani client who brings projects for me but on a 50 percent share. That's a huge cut but still i have managed to earn more than one lac in some months. honestly that is not a stable income with peace of mind. So i decided to move to a corporate job. The market condition is so so worse that nobody cares what cv i have and what kind of projects i have done. I am unable to understand the gauge and checks with which i will be able to get a job. I need advice from you guys about what I should do? Just leave the job hunt and go into freelance or should i keep looking for a job? And exactly what is the best strategy if i have to find a job. I have tried emailing the HRs even DMing them. Sending references requests to employees but nothing is working at all. Its becoming too frustrating because the client I have has also been failing to score any projects for the past month. The condition is too uncertain. Some people say that i should wait 2 3 months until this graduation period ends and most people get settle and then again look for jobs but i dont think that would make any sense. ITS TOO NECESSARY FOR ME TO EARN AND SUPPORT MY FAMILY.

Also if someone is doing a remote job. Please suggest how I can hunt a remote role? I have projects and portfolio to show. But not the right Hunting strategy. I've been using well-found as well but that is not working as well. Are there any better options to find a remote role?

Apologies if my rant looks weird because my mind is too scattered lately. I was also thinking to post about my freelance projects on LinkedIn. How i solved business problems through automations and websites. Does that make any difference or brings international clients or recruiters attention? What's the best way to take my LinkedIn profile on an international level instead of accepting connection requests from 1st sem students.

Please help me out about this. I want to decide a path and get locked in but finding myself lost to choose a direction like everybody nowadays. Any word of advice would be a great help from someone who has gone through this phase and found a path.

Thanks in advance if you read it.

I’m experiencing a persistent issue with my WhatsApp account that appears to be server-side.

Problem:

Messages I send show only a single tick on my side, but recipients confirm they receive them.

Messages sent to me remain on a single tick on the sender’s side, and I do not receive them at all.

WhatsApp calls from my side show “Calling” only. On the recipient’s side, the phone rings, but when they answer, my side does not connect and their side shows “Reconnecting” before the call fails.

Context:

I switched devices from Pixel 8a → Pixel 4a → Pixel 7.

During login on the Pixel 4a, I had multiple verification issues.

Since then, the problem has persisted across devices (including a fresh install on Pixel 7).

I was without WhatsApp for ~5 days, but the issue remains.

I am using the same phone number and Google account.

Internet connection is stable; VPN and battery restrictions are disabled.

It seems like my account session or push routing is corrupted.

I have a large backup (~15 GB) on Google Drive, so I would prefer not to delete my account unless absolutely necessary.

Please advise or provide any solution if someone has encountered the same issue