In 2022, Upwork launched the Upwork Academy as a response to the low success rate of new freelancers joining their platform. It was a noble idea, but perhaps it should have had a much greater impact on freelancers’ careers on Upwork.
So, a well-justified question we must ask in 2023 should probably be “is Upwork Academy good for beginners?”
The obviously good and beginner-friendly part of it is that it is fully paid for by Upwork. It’s completely free! And anyone can join it!
But let’s look at the specifics. What does it do, how is it set up, and is Upwork Academy good for beginners in reality?
1. What is Upwork Academy?
The Academy consists of various courses that you can take as a freelancer to learn how the platform works. The first three are targeting newbies:
The next three help once you’ve got some business going and you want to get more business on the platform:
There are another three courses for starting an agency, being an ordinary client, and being an enterprise client on Upwork, but let’s focus only on those parts that are targeting new freelancers.
The front page of Upwork Academy.
The course content is something I asked 10 Upworkers, connections made on LinkedIn, who have gone through the courses for their opinions. It was clear that most of the courses offer clear guidance on the rough basics of how Upwork works and how you can perhaps try to get your first projects.
No issues there.
But it seemed like the courses fall short from the target which is, or at least should be, freelancers getting consistent business on the platform. What else would the company that makes most of its money from 5-20% commission from projects executed on the platform wish for?
The common points the freelancers I interviewed were:
- The courses helped in understanding how Upwork’s interface works
- The courses helped in understanding how contracts work
- The coaches are very understanding and supportive
But these were the main points on the positive side. Let’s look at the rest.
2. Who runs the show?
Many of the coaches seem not to have actual freelancing experience but are academics or educators of different kinds. That fact alone drops the basis from everything you do as a teacher. Before showing the path to others, shouldn’t you have gone through that path yourself?
Are the coaches those who actually got sizeable businesses, managed to charge high hourly rates consistently, and got things going on their own before they started teaching others?
No. There’s no sign of it. Their track records seem to mention “Upwork coach” for this and that many years and even the profiles don’t look like successful freelance careers.
3. What do freelancers say?
Looking at the discussion on the Community Forum regarding the Academy, it looks like those new freelancers going through the courses and coaching programs do benefit from it.
But then again, do they become good freelancers and get notable business on Upwork?
It doesn’t seem so, unfortunately. Most of the freelancers seem to get some small jobs, nothing substantial, so the value of the free support Upwork gives remains limited.
4. What are the alternatives?
To get things going on Upwork quickly, there are plenty of alternatives to Upwork Academy!
And guess what? Most of them are free. But not the best ones, obviously.
YouTube videos
There are plenty of “free” materials for new freelancers to watch on YouTube. Without naming a single channel here, it is obvious, as with all free-to-watch content, that if the product is completely free to the end user, it’s the end user who is the product.
Many of those channels are pure click-baits, the worse ones are even so badly designed that everyone sees through them. They are there to get a lot of viewers so that the advertising income lands the publisher’s bank account at a nice and steady interval.
I’m not saying all content there is complete BS. It probably isn’t. But what isn’t there on YouTube channels for sure is personalized guidance and contextual feedback. The channel owner does not give you suggestions that would help you try something new as a freelancer with a relatively high probability of success. Or help you understand why something new you tried failed miserably.
Free self-study courses
Self-study courses work best for those who love to read. And not just read, but have the somewhat rare talent to truly learn things by mere reading. This approach works for those who have the intelligence to apply their theoretical knowledge, change and customize something in the theoretical approach, and turn it into practice in their own work.
Most new freelancers fail to do this as a certain level of experience is required to make educated guesses of what all the possible adaptations might work in their cases.
One such course is available on this site. It is structured by the stage of freelancing and is free for all to read!
Mentoring and coaching by senior successful freelancers
Many successful freelancers offer mentoring and coaching services on a 1-on-1 basis. This is probably the most comprehensive way to learn the art of freelancing without focusing on just one freelance platform such as Upwork.
For instance, CoachLancer Membership Plans offer a great deal of personalized guidance and feedback, and support from recognized senior freelancers. There is nothing like learning from the best! And by having a simple business arrangement makes the newbie’s freelancing success everyone’s goal.
So, is Upwork Academy good for beginners, actually?
Definitely, Upwork Academy can give a great deal of support to those starting their freelance business on that platform. But if compared to alternatives, learning how to build a one-person freelance business takes much, much more.
For those looking for part-time gigs and pocket money, why not go through Upwork Academy and get something going quickly? It’s OK!
But for serious freelancers, more comprehensive support such as paid courses and coaching support provides better results as it is the mentors’ interest to enable people to see true success soon after the start.
