oDesk Changed My Life

This wonderful lady here is Ana Marie Barrieses. She got married last October 2012 and is a hands-on mommy to the cutest little boy ever. We graduated from the same university and had the pleasure of working together as a web content provider for a private company. I contacted her a couple of years ago so I can feature her on my blog. Unfortunately, I got sidetracked and the interview never got published. Now that I finally found the time to write again, I got in touch with Ana so I can finally feature her success story here. Read about how she started and where she is now with her freelancing.


Name: Ana Marie Barrieses
Location: Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
Odesk Member Since: June 17, 2008

What was your previous job before you joined oDesk? I was working as a telecollector.

Where did you first hear about oDesk? From a friend, she was my classmate in college.

What made you decide to become a member of the site?

I wasn't all that interested at first but I keep hearing good things about being a member and about working online so I went ahead and tried it. Luckily, it did not take me long to get hired. I landed my first oDesk job and was given the chance to show what I am capable of doing.

What was the first project you worked on? 

It was a VA job which lasted for more than 6 months.

That's great! Was it full time? 

No, just part time at first. I was required to work 4-6 hours a day. It went very well and after a few months, I took on more jobs and then went full time.

What obstacles have you encountered when you were still starting?

I had a pretty hard time dealing with some clients. The know-it-all types make it harder for me to share my ideas. The overly demanding ones, too, made my work a lot harder. I also had problem with my work schedule but thankfully things are so much better now.

What top three lessons have you learned as an oDesk freelancer? 

I learned that no matter how skilled or talented you are, you won't last long if you are not willing to learn, if you don't have patience and determination. It is also important to have good work ethics. Second, you have to be open to criticisms and third, you have to love your job!

What new skills have you acquired from the many different projects you worked on?

I learned social media marketing from my clients. I met different types of people online and learned how to deal with them especially the bosses. I had the opportunity to work on some WordPress sites and that really improved my marketability as a Virtual Assistant. I also learned a bit of SEO and have improved my English skills big time!

What jobs do you often get hired for?

Virtual/Executive Assistant (VA), Social Media Marketing, Data entry, Research, Customer Chat Support, Transcriptionist

Your story is awe-inspiring. What do you have to say to people who thinks oDesk is a SCAM?

No, it's not a scam! It is a legitimate freelancing site and there are so many projects to choose from. As long as you work hard and deliver what you promised to your clients, it can be a steady source of income. If you are good, you'll have greater chances of getting hired long term. 

I am very happy working from home. There is less pressure as compared to working in an office. I am also earning more than what I need and learning a lot from people both offline and online.

You must be really good at what you do then. Do you like being an oDesk freelancer?

Yes I do, without a doubt!

There you go, guys. I hope you enjoyed reading about Ana's oDesk experiences. Here are three other oDesk Success Stories I published if you feel like checking them out:

oDesk Success Story: Ellen Nor Sarabia

oDesk Success Story: JoAnn Del Castillo

Leslie Ann Macapagal, Another oDesk Freelancer Earned Ph71,000 Month of April

If you are an oDesk freelancer and would also like to be featured on my blog, feel free to send me a message on Facebook or to drop me an email at gentm128ATgmailDOTcom.

Ciao!