u/Spirited_Artist6217

Hi everyone,
I’m currently a Junior .NET Developer (and a CS student) focusing on backend development. My tech stack mainly revolves around C#, ASP.NET Core, Entity Framework Core, SQL Server, Unit Testing, and cloud basics (Azure).
Lately, I’ve been trying to get into freelancing to build real-world experience and earn some income, especially since landing a traditional junior role or internship right now is quite challenging. However, I’m hitting a wall with the standard platforms:

1. Freelancer.com / Similar free sites: They feel extremely chaotic. Most job postings seem vague, the budgets are often unrealistically low, and there are hundreds of automated bids within minutes.
2. Upwork: I like the quality of jobs better, but the "Connects" system is tough for a beginner. Most relevant entry-level or mid-level .NET jobs quickly get 50+ proposals. As a junior without platform reviews, I feel like I’m just burning money on Connects with very little chance of actually being chosen over established freelancers.
   For those of you who have successfully navigated this initial hurdle:
   • What strategies would you recommend for a Junior .NET dev trying to get their first 1-2 clients?
   • Are there better platforms or alternative methods (cold emailing, specific communities) I should be focusing on instead of the giant marketplaces?
   • If I should stick to Upwork, how do you optimize your bidding strategy to not waste Connects?
   I already have a few solid personal projects in my portfolio (including full-stack and backend architectural tools), but getting someone to give me that first chance is proving difficult. Any advice, harsh truths, or guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Hey everyone, I’ve been seeing an overwhelming amount of content lately about how 'easy' it is to get funded and make a killing with prop firms. To be honest, it feels a bit too good to be true.

I’m curious to hear from the community: Is there anyone here who is actually pulling consistent payouts long-term? Or is the only real money being made by the firm owners and the gurus selling courses? I'd love to hear some honest experiences - both good and bad. Thanks!

Hey everyone, I’ve been seeing an overwhelming amount of content lately about how 'easy' it is to get funded and make a killing with prop firms. To be honest, it feels a bit too good to be true.

I’m curious to hear from the community: Is there anyone here who is actually pulling consistent payouts long-term? Or is the only real money being made by the firm owners and the gurus selling courses? I'd love to hear some honest experiences - both good and bad. Thanks!

Hey everyone, I’ve been seeing an overwhelming amount of content lately about how 'easy' it is to get funded and make a killing with prop firms. To be honest, it feels a bit too good to be true.

I’m curious to hear from the community: Is there anyone here who is actually pulling consistent payouts long-term? Or is the only real money being made by the firm owners and the gurus selling courses? I'd love to hear some honest experiences - both good and bad. Thanks!

Hi everyone! Before I spend my next 2 weeks writing another Identity and Stripe billing setup from scratch... is there a solid, lightweight .NET 8 boilerplate that already does this?

I just want a clean architecture setup with basic Auth and Payments so I can jump straight into building my app's actual features. Any recommendations?

Hi everyone! Before I spend my next 2 weeks writing another Identity and Stripe billing setup from scratch... is there a solid, lightweight .NET 8 boilerplate that already does this?

I just want a clean architecture setup with basic Auth and Payments so I can jump straight into building my app's actual features. Any recommendations?