Why I Voluntarily Closed My Top‑Rated Upwork Account

Hi everyone,

For several years, Upwork was the backbone of my freelance career. I built my profile from almost nothing into a steady, predictable side business. I specialized as a full‑stack engineer, focused on long‑term clients, and eventually earned the Top Rated Plus badge. That badge meant a lot to me—it represented consistent delivery, strong feedback, and years of showing up reliably.

Then, almost overnight, I had to walk away from it all.

At the time, I was also working full‑time for a company that had a strict policy against side freelance work on platforms like Upwork. When I realized my current employer did not allow me to continue using freelance marketplaces, I made the decision to close my Upwork account voluntarily. I didn’t want to risk my main job or violate company rules, so I chose to shut down my Upwork profile even though it was performing well.

It wasn’t an easy decision. All the feedback, the earnings history, the Job Success Score, the badge—everything I had built over years—was effectively frozen. Emotionally, it felt like closing a small company I had spent years growing. I had to let go of a platform that had given me stability, exposure, and long‑term clients.

Once the initial disappointment passed, I had to ask myself a hard question:
How do I keep building my freelance career when the main platform I relied on is no longer an option under my own name?

Instead of staying stuck in frustration, I started treating this as a forced reset. I wrote down what had worked for me on Upwork: the way I structured my profile, how I communicated with clients, how I scoped projects, and how I built long‑term relationships. Those skills were still mine. The badge was gone, but the experience was not.

I decided that my story on Upwork wasn’t over; it just wouldn’t continue in the old way. In the next chapter, I’ll share how I found a path forward: partnering with a trusted friend, restructuring responsibilities, and rebuilding a freelancing business from the ground up—even after closing my Upwork account.

Thanks for reading. If you’re depending heavily on any single platform right now, treat this as a reminder: follow your company policies carefully, and always remember that your real assets are your skills, your relationships, and your reputation, not just your account.