Here’s the truth: my UpWork account was suspended years ago. And here’s another truth, it doesn’t matter.

What do you do if you were suspended from one of the most leading online platforms? That’s simple: you find another.

As a pioneer, I don’t rely on one platform. I am everywhere and you should be too.

I started my online freelancing career by viewing listings on Craigslist and Elance+Odesk (now rebranded as UpWork) but one day upon checking my UpWork account, I found that it was suspended. I was puzzled and could not think of any reason why this could happen.

I had not opened my account for more than a year since I was working full-time for an Australian client. Maybe that was the reason or I may have violated something. I really didn’t know.

Hence I appealed to dismiss the suspension of my account. Within 24 hours they replied and I got this email. 

What the heck??? To say that I was shocked and frustrated would be a big understatement!

No specific reason, no validation, nothing.

I was furious. I started to have doubts and insecurities about myself.

I took a deep breath and said screw UpWork!

There’s always another way. There must be another way!

When a door closes, a window opens. If not, I will break the door to give way to my own path.

The day I felt I was a loser was also the day I found new incredible opportunities from others. I found out about FreeeUp, Guru, Toptal, and Linkedin; all the other platforms and agencies I can think of.

The point is the suspension of your UpWork account is not the end of your online freelancing career. You just have to look further and sometimes the biggest or most popular platform isn’t always the best for you.

Although being rejected by UpWork for unclear reasons was disappointing, the respect stays since they’ve turned online freelancing into a user-friendly alternative to those meaning to start out.

Choose your battles. When you get knocked down, you don’t have to fight them all the time. Sometimes you just have to accept that you are defeated but remember that you will still fight in a different field.

Know your worth, keep your chin up, and remember the song that goes “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.