Comments on: Competing in a Global Marketplace

By: Abel

Abel — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:00:51 +0000

@Garth:
Most definitely. Actionscript skills pay higher than many other skills because it is harder to find providers who are highly qualified with them. I think it is easy for some to look at skills and think “what is in the most demand?” by simply seeing what is the most common skills that are demanded in the marketplace. This can be a mistake because usually it is the more rare skills that pay more.

Whatever you do, I really believe you need to be well-rounded, with many skills, while also being specialized in only a few things. This is what makes someone really valuable.

By: Garth Patterson

Garth Patterson — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:40:45 +0000

Abel,

You made a list of in-demand skills that people can learn to supplement their skill sets. Do you think that Flash/Actionscript is/can be another one of those skills?

Thanks!

By: Tim Lytle

Tim Lytle — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:39:26 +0000

Good post – I guest posted on the oDesk blog last week on a similar topic (http://www.odesk.com/blog/2009/10/provider-voice-bidding-for-work-its-not-about-price/). It’s good to see practical (and real world) answers on how to make an acceptable houlry rate on oDesk – as opposed to those who just complain that ‘there should be a minimum hourly rate’.

By: Sam Welbeck

Sam Welbeck — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:57:09 +0000

Great post. It is a little disheartening to see the low rates being proposed by buyers when you are used to Western salaries. I completely agree that you need to “up your game” if you are going to stand out. I have recently moved to Cairo from London and I intend to make a living earning in sterling (or dollars). I am all up for learning more and improving one’s skills. Often the problem is knowing where to start. Can you or anyone suggest some good books or websites on PHP and Joomla?

By: Lama Takruri

Lama Takruri — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:19:06 +0000

WOW! this is really one of the most useful articles I’ve read about ODESK, I’m a graphic designer from middle east , and the life here is getting more expensive everyday , so sometimes i get frustrated by the low income I make on ODESK . i think that Odesk must specify proposal minimums.

By: Margaret

Margaret — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:14:40 +0000

You are right Abel.I am also in the US (GMT -5) and I also have found that buyers really prefer to work with those who speak their own language when working in technical jobs. There is so much that they need to communicate about how their system works that trying to get this across when there is a language barrier is just too difficult.
For the same reason, I only work with clients strictly in North America or the UK. I have worked with Aussies but the time difference is just too much. It takes days to communicate and valuable time is lost.
It may be different in non technical jobs, I am just talking about programming jobs.
Best wishes.