Angie H. tells her story

Angela signed up for oDesk in November, 2008. At times, she may have gotten discouraged (like many people have during this recession)…but eventually, her patience and persistence paid off and she was awarded her first assignment on oDesk this month.

As mentioned before, things don't happen overnight, and they don't happen without a little effort on your part.

But, like just about anything else, once things start to come together, it usually gets easier and easier until it almost seems effortless.

As she states in her forum post:

I just wanted to take a moment to assure all the other newbie providers on Odesk that there is hope. If you put your best effort into your profile, apply thoughtfully to positions and have patience, you will find work on Odesk.

This newbie joined Odesk at the end of November, and I was awarded my first assignment this morning. I spent my entire first week on the site editing my profile information and taking as many of the certification tests as I could. I didn't even try to apply to my first job until that was done. Without very much to add to my portfolio, my hope was that high test scores would help assure potential buyers of my capabilities. I don't know if most buyers really look at this or not, but I like to think it helps. [source]

You can read the full post in her oDesk forum thread.