Two years ago, Anas lost his full-time UK job. He went back to Upwork — the platform he'd already used to make over $80K while studying — and within months landed an 18-month Swedish contract that generated over $5M in client revenue.

His unfair advantage? A 60-second intro video that gets him hired in 24 hours.

In this episode of Ready Set Do, I sit with Anas, a Top Rated Plus Upwork freelancer (roughly the top 3% on the platform), to walk through his exact playbook for freelancing on Upwork in 2026.

We cover how to start freelancing on Upwork with zero reviews, how to write Upwork proposals that actually get opened, how to price freelance work across countries without underselling yourself, and how to escape the "Upwork is saturated" trap that keeps most beginners stuck.

Anas is a Moroccan-born industrial engineer who pivoted into data science, freelanced his way through grad school in the UK, and rebuilt his income on Upwork after a layoff. So he's lived both sides — the broke student grinding for first reviews, and the senior freelancer competing against AI and offshore pricing.

If you're trying to figure out how to get clients on Upwork, build a freelance data science career, or future-proof yourself against AI eating junior work — this is the full breakdown.

A few things we get into:

→ The Upwork proposal mistake 90% of beginners make (and the niche-down fix)→ Why milestones beat hourly contracts on bigger projects→ How to filter bad clients before you ever get on a call→ The LinkedIn + YouTube combo that pre-sells you before the proposal lands→ Where Anas thinks "Chief AI Operator" roles are headed next

Whether you're sending your first Upwork proposal this week or you've been freelancing for years and feel the AI pressure closing in, Anas gives you the tactical playbook and the bigger story behind it.

(Quick heads-up: I learned more about freelance pricing in 25 minutes of this conversation than in any Upwork course I've seen.)

Subscribe to Ready Set Do for more honest career conversations with people who've actually done it — international students, immigrant founders, freelancers, PMs, and engineers building unconventional paths into tech.

🔗 ABOUT ANASLinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/riadanas/YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@UC2L6md1QyYAMRAoar_9ZFaw

Ready Set Do podcast: readysetdopodcast.com

Chapters:

00:00 The Biggest Misconception About Freelancing01:55 From Industrial Engineering to Data Science03:15 Saturation, AI Tools, and the Changing Job Market05:00 Starting on Upwork Before Feeling Fully Ready06:42 Niching Down and Writing Targeted Proposals09:47 Getting First Reviews and Building Social Proof11:01 Filtering Clients and Setting Clear Project Boundaries14:32 Milestones, Hourly Work, and Project Structure19:19 Pricing, Undercharging, and Negotiating Rates24:02 Re-Entering Upwork and Landing a Larger Client28:47 Building Trust with LinkedIn, YouTube, and Video Proof35:28 AI's Impact on Freelance Data Work and Future Roles38:13 AI Agents, Chief AI Operators, and Guardrails