Introduction Introduction I guess I’ve always been a Frank Sinatra’s my-way-kind-of-a-man who has followed his instincts in both private and professional life. I obtained an academic degree in 2003 and, as one of the top 30 students in my country, I had a promise of a career as a lawyer or public prosecutor. However, after only a few years, I decided to leave it all behind and start a new career in sales from scratch. That was a decision that shocked my family, friends, and former colleagues. Yet, I followed my way persistently and with no hesitation. As a result, I advanced from a rookie salesman to a position of sales director for the joint markets of a handful of neighboring countries in the SEE (South-East-Europe) region. The intensity of the business decision-making process, frequent business trips, and constant pressure took their toll on me. I ended up with an alarming diagnosis of prediabetes and high blood pressure. That was the moment that I realized I had to make the most important decision in my life. I entered the world of freelancing in 2012, and I haven’t regretted it ever since. How Did You Start Writing? At the very beginning, I treated freelancing as a temporary solution. My plan was to take a break from the unhealthy corporate lifestyle and then get back big time when I recharge my batteries. The truth was, though, that the more I worked as a freelance writer, the more I liked it. I kept postponing my big comeback in the 9-to-5 business world. My very first project was worth just $2! However, a few years later, I was making a thousand times more. That was the moment when I began to examine and accept freelancing as a phenomenon from a completely different perspective. Writing helped me to focus on my health and spend more time with my family. How Has Technology Impacted The Way You Write? In tech we trust, writing is a must. That’s just me being me. I love writing about tech. As a GenXer, I feel like a time traveler. I’ve come a long way from analog to the digital world. I don’t take things for granted. I resisted the AI temptations, and the only thing I changed was the introduction of Grammarly as my writing companion in 2016. The world of tech innovations has always been my source of inspiration for new writing ideas. The way things are now, and always developing, my writing guns are never going to run out of ammo. Share About Your Journey Highlights? I have to say that I feel privileged to be able to witness some of the most important tectonic changes in the freelance industry first-hand. Back then, we had a half dozen of serious business players in this field, such as Elance, oDesk, Freelancer, Guru, vWorker, among others. Then, Freelancer acquired vWorker, while almost at the same time, Elance and goDesk merged into a new platform - Upwork. The freelance landscape has been completely and irrevocably changed. The “New Freelance World Order” was born with room for only two freelance superpowers: Freelancer and Upwork. The brave new freelance world hasn't become a happy and enjoyable place for freelancers. The major freelance platforms have completely transformed themselves into multimillion-dollar businesses. Unfortunately, while doing so, they have totally forgotten the basic principles of freelancing that drove so many people to this industry in the first place. Upwork lost touch with reality. I'm talking about the reality of an average Joe freelancer, who's doing his or her best to make it in the freelance world that has become extremely competitive and disappointingly merciless. I’ve been writing for more than ten years about the original founding freelance principles: freedom, fairness, and equality. We need to be reminded of these principles. We need to go back to the freelance basics that have been forgotten and trapped under the corporate greed that has nothing to do with the genuine concept of freelancing. What’s Your Creative Process? I’ve never looked for a story. Stories have always had a way of finding me. I’m not writing but rather answering the questions that don’t allow me to sleep and eat. I feel restless until I answer the calling of a story that just appears out of nowhere when and where I expect it the least. Research feels like walking, and writing feels like running. The finish line is HackerNoon. It’s an endless race when I say to myself: OK, I’m done with this story. Tomorrow is a new day and the time for a new story. I never choose when and what I’m going to write about. Someone or something else does it for me. I carry the stories with and inside me. I write introductions and conclusions in my head before I even turn on my laptop. I mastered the skills of blind typing. When you type almost one word per second, you’re surprised when you look back at what you wrote. It’s almost like playing a piano. Very often, I’m not even aware of what I just typed. It’s a creative chaos full of unexpected twists and ideas out of this world at the last moment. And yes, I love it. Your Favorite Memory/Article(s) to This Day? HackerNoon has always supported my writing regardless of controversies as long as my claims and findings were thoroughly researched and supported by rock-solid publicly available sources and facts. The most rewarding research and writing journey began with the introduction of "connects" during the Upwork Inc (UPWK) Q1 2019 Earnings Call in May 2019. Here's a link to my article that can save you time going through the transcript of this Earnings Call. You will see two crucial quotes from that acting CEO. One initial article led to the entire series of stories about fake accounts, reviews, and jobs on Upwork. We can never know for sure what the exact percentage or number of these fake “elements” that are the core substance of every freelance platform is. article article If you’re asking me, for a freelance platform that claims it is “the largest global freelancing website,” even one fake account, review, or job is too many. I wrote and provided evidence for each claim about fake Upwork accounts, reviews, and jobs. Fake jobs are the worst and the most problematic component of this Upwork "fake trilogy" because they provided the safe harbor for scammers that exploded in numbers hand-in-hand with the connects system. accounts accounts reviews reviews Fake jobs Fake jobs Upwork officially admitted that it was caught red-handed posting fake jobs, offered an "explanation," and has done nothing about it until this day. My work caught the attention of Mashable journalists, who reached out to me for comments. officially admitted that it was caught red-handed posting fake jobs officially admitted that it was caught red-handed posting fake jobs Todorovic, a Serbian writer who has blogged about many of Upwork’s changes over the years, elaborated on his case when I reached out to him. To him, those Connects are the lynchpin. In a follow-up post to the "fake job farm" one, Todorovic shares a screenshot where an Upwork community mod acknowledges the uptick in job post anomalies freelancers like Todorovic had noticed. Todorovic, a Serbian writer who has blogged about many of Upwork’s changes over the years, elaborated on his case when I reached out to him. To him, those Connects are the lynchpin. In a follow-up post to the "fake job farm" one, Todorovic shares a screenshot where an Upwork community mod acknowledges the uptick in job post anomalies freelancers like Todorovic had noticed. has blogged Upwork’s changes Upwork’s changes How Did You Hear About HackerNoon? Share With Us About Your Experience With HackerNoon. I wrote about my HackerNoon journey. I was one of the first verified writers. To this day, after more than a hundred published stories, not once have I used this direct publishing privilege because of the way I feel about HackerNoon editors. I wrote about my HackerNoon journey. my HackerNoon journey the way I feel about HackerNoon editors What Have You Learnt From Your Journey? HackerNoon is my home. My portfolio. My pride. I remember the days when other publications didn’t even want to take my controversial stories into consideration. No story of mine was too controversial to be published on HackerNoon. The option to combine memes, pictures, video content, code, and AI-generated visual elements is unique and unparalleled in the publishing industry. HackerNoon is not my first or last writing stop, but it is the only and exclusive one. If you like what and how I write, look me up on HackerNoon. No story of mine was too controversial to be published on HackerNoon. Final Thoughts On October 14, 2018, I published my first story on HackerNoon. That day has become my “second Bday,” if you get my meaning. I’m sure you do. I published a special story: My Six Years of Writing on HackerNoon in Numbers and Pictures. When I’m feeling down, I go through my stories and HackerNoon memories. I feel better. Nietzsche said, “Without music, life would be a mistake.” I say the same about HackerNoon. Tech stories are my music, and a keyboard is my piano. My Six Years of Writing on HackerNoon in Numbers and Pictures Check out Nesha’s HackerNoon profile here, and read more of his amazing stories! https://hackernoon.com/u/nebojsaneshatodorovic?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/u/nebojsaneshatodorovic?embedable=true HackerNoon Writers Spotlight is a special, exclusive interview series where HackerNoon’s Top Writers share about their writing journey on the net in this ever-evolving digital world. HackerNoon Writers Spotlight is a special, exclusive interview series where HackerNoon’s Top Writers share about their writing journey on the net in this ever-evolving digital world. HackerNoon Writers Spotlight HackerNoon Writers Spotlight

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