How Garbage Gigs were sold to Pro Consultants
- Andrew Flop
- Jan 4
- 4 min read
Once upon a time, between 2014 and 2022, the freelancer market was on fire. Not the cozy kind of fire that warms you on a chilly evening, but the blazing inferno that had every (barely even) mediocre developer with a cheap laptop dreaming of quadrupling their income and of Instagram-worthy remote work setups. Then came the double punch: the Great Inflation Mayhem and the Energy Crisis sparked by the Russian - Ukraine war. The dream burned out quicker than a startup with no business plan, and the once-glorified, highly-paid freelancer gigs turned into a game of musical chairs—but with way fewer chairs.
The fallout was brutal. Many freelancers, once commanding jaw-dropping hourly rates, found themselves benched. And if there’s one thing worse than a developer with no code to write, it’s a developer with no paycheck to cash. So, back to the corporate grind they went. Sure, it meant a hefty pay cut, but hey, at least it came with healthcare, a steady paycheck, and the ability to cover that regrettably overpriced Tesla. Speaking of Teslas, imagine the heartbreak of seeing your shiny new Model 3 lose 25% of its value overnight because automakers slashed prices in the midst of an EV market cool-down. If you tried to resell it, you'd bleed cash, a lot of cash.
The Freelancer Broker Dilemma: Garbage Gigs Need Developers, Too
Before the market collapse, freelance consultant brokers faced an amusingly tragic problem: how to sell a dumpster fire project to a top-tier developer. Their solution? Wrap it in glittery marketing fluff, of course.
Consider this gem of a job ad:
Are you burning with desire to showcase your true skills in a high-paced project using the latest cutting-edge technology? Join our dedicated team focused on speed and exceptional quality as a Full Stack Developer.
Sounds exciting, right? Wrong. Let’s decode that red-flag fiesta of this garbage gig:
“Showcase your true skills” = “We expect you to work 60-hour weeks but pay you for 40.”
“Burning with desire” = “We’re looking for someone young and naïve enough to fall for this.”
“Cutting-edge technology” = “We’re using an unproven tech stack that you’ll waste hours learning or debugging. In the end, it might not work.”
“speed and exceptional quality” = “Prepare to be micromanaged by a self-proclaimed coding guru with a Drama Queen complex. Needs about 2 hours time for every ten line PR you submit.”
No thanks. Projects like these were a hard pass for seasoned freelancers. Even the mere whiff of this kind of chaos was enough to make a pro ghost the freelancer agency.
When the Tide Turned
At some point, brokers finally got the memo: keep it simple. Just list the tech stack and general project details. Unfortunately, the promise of 12,000 to 25,000 monthly paychecks (USD, EUR) attracted junior developers like moths to a flame. Many came from far-flung corners of the world, hoping to cash in on the remote work gold rush. Some had skills, but others? Not so much. Power BI from Bangalore? Sure, great for making pie charts, but not exactly the skillset companies were looking to pay premium rates for.
Fast-forward to the AI revolution. Why hire juniors when you can use AI to do the grunt work? These days, companies are laser-focused on experienced developers—architects, lead devs, and full-stack developers who can solve complex problems and mentor teams. The market is saturated, but only with top-tier talent.
Garbage Gigs: When they became desired projects
Post-2022, the landscape flipped. With work drying up and even big consultancies struggling to keep their benches warm, freelancers became ravenous. That glittery job ad with “high-speed challenges” and “cutting-edge tech”? Suddenly, it looked like a buffet in a famine. Developers who once scoffed at mopping metaphorical floors were now bringing their mops to interviews—figuratively and literally.
Imagine this scene:
Recruiter: “We’re looking for someone to manage our MongoDB and Node.js stack. Also, the office floors need mopping every Friday.”
Developer: “Sure thing. Here’s my portfolio. Would you like me to demonstrate my mopping technique? I’ve also got a chilled Mojito recipe ready for the team.”
The desperation was palpable, and slimy projects became the new gold rush. Who knew the freelancing dream would end with a mop in one hand and a keyboard in the other?
The New Reality
So, where does this leave us? The freelancer market isn’t dead, but it’s definitely taken a beating. There’s still demand for top talent, but the days of cherry-picking high-paying gigs while sipping cocktails on a beach are largely over. If you’re an experienced developer, there’s work to be had. Just don’t be surprised if the job description includes “making coffee” or “weekly janitorial duties.” After all, versatility is the name of the game now. And AI cannot do everything. Like mopping floors.
