‍How was your recruitment and onboarding process at Outlier? Were there any challenges you encountered, and how did you overcome them?

Ezequias: I would say that it was smooth sailing. I attended a Zoom onboarding that explained how to better use the platform at first, and after some days I was put in a group for LATAM attempters, that had a Brazilian "subgroup" and had its own onboarding, which made things even better because I was working together with other Brazilian attempters and reviewers.

A thing that I'd say was a challenge was writing good justifications. With the help of other participants in the group, I've learned to write robust justifications, pointing to lines in the code and explaining peculiarities of the programming language used by the task.

When did things start to click for you? Was there a particular moment or action that made the difference?

Ezequias: Things got a lot easier after I was included in the LATAM group. We worked together to create good prompts and double-checked the justifications to ensure high-quality work. The feedback I received confirmed that my work improved.

How did you navigate the complexity of working with Outlier, especially since others have found it challenging?

Ezequias: I'd say that the key was to take it easy. I tried not to overexert myself by doing a lot of tasks back to back, and I took my time to read all the documentation provided by the projects I've been assigned to. I also tried to keep a quality over quantity mindset.

About the complexity of the tasks, I don't have much to say. The projects I've worked on were in programming languages that I'm used to coding in daily.

What are the key benefits you've experienced while working with a company like Outlier?

Ezequias: Flexibility. I love it. I can log on at 2 AM and do some work, and if I want to sleep until noon afterward, I wouldn't be missing anything. Thanks to that, I'm also able to take classes and courses during unusual hours for a salaryman, which is perfect for my long-term goals.

Have you gained new skills or refined existing ones during your time with Outlier?

Ezequias: Yes! I'm a self-taught English speaker, so I'm really prone to making some mistakes here and there, but to write justifications, I needed to ensure that there were no grammar errors, so it helped me to improve my English skills.

How has the income you've earned from Outlier impacted your personal or professional life?

Ezequias: The first thing I've been able to work towards thanks to this income is my driver's license. I've also expanded my computer setup, which allows me to work more efficiently and comfortably. Also, I'm saving for a possible post-graduation degree in the future.

How do you balance working on a contract job like this with your personal and professional goals?

Ezequias: For me, it's easy to maintain balance because working on a contract job is the best thing that could have happened to me professionally at this time. It provides the flexibility to study, work on my hobby, develop my 'pet' programming project, spend quality time with my family, and maintain a healthy sleep schedule. I couldn't balance these aspects in past jobs, so I would often sidetrack my hobby or project, and sometimes compromise my sleep to spend time with my family.

How would you rate your overall satisfaction working with Outlier, and what factors contribute most to that satisfaction?

Ezequias: Personally, I would rate it 5/5. The factors contributing to this rating are both flexibility and working in a field that I truly like. Being able to work whenever I want and for as long as I want, without being penalized, is really good. Being paid to work on something that feels like a hobby to me (programming) is amazing.

What advice would you give to developers considering working with Outlier but are hesitant?

Ezequias: There is no need to be hesitant. AI is a blooming field and opportunities like these won't last forever, so give it a try.

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We value all our community members and want to hear from you. If you're facing challenges or have suggestions for improvement, please reach out to our Support Manager, Thay, on Slack. While our ability to make changes may be limited in some ways, we're here to help where we can and are doing our best to continuously enhance opportunities for all our developers.

We believe in the potential of this partnership and are committed to working through the challenges. Success stories like Ezequiel's show us what's possible, and we're dedicated to helping more of our developers achieve similar positive experiences. We appreciate your patience as we work to improve and optimize this opportunity for everyone in our community.