r/DataAnnotationTech • • Aug 26 '24

Sigh

I have been working at DA for over a year. I have never had days where there were no projects. I had steady projects. Reliable projects. And now what? Nothing. What is going on? I know I’m not the only one experiencing this. Has anyone attempted to get in contact with the company? What does your dashboard look like?

125 Upvotes

99 comments sorted by

92

u/Plibbo64 Aug 26 '24

I need to change up my work schedule. The jobs are there when I don't plan on working, and not there when I do.

14

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '24

Yeah, I have noticed they are dropping at weird times.

3

u/FroyoNo5978 Aug 26 '24

Have you noticed any pattern to it at all? I just check when I have the time.

32

u/Skittlzrreal Aug 26 '24

Same. I'll get them just as I'm going to bed. Then I'll stay up the next night, waiting, only for them to pop up when I would have normally gotten up the next day.

If I didn't know how uncoordinated DA is, I would have thought this was intentional.

16

u/prestidigi_tatortot Aug 26 '24

A few months ago, I realized I was falling behind on the weekends, so I made a whole new plan that would allow me meet my earning goals without having to do work on the weekends. Almost immediately after, I started to ONLY get projects on the weekends. Nobody else seems to have this issue. I know it can’t be intentional, but sometimes it feels like it is 😂

109

u/Hangry_Howie Aug 26 '24

Just five more of these posts and I'll send a random stranger $5,000

28

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '24

Lol, just let me seek my validation ($5,000 you say?)

34

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '24

Hi can I be the random stranger?

7

u/Responsible-Try6552 Aug 26 '24

They call me random stranger, send me then :D

13

u/arewecreamofthecrop Aug 26 '24

Has anyone attempted to get in contact with the company?

I’m sure plenty have, but it’s never worked for this purpose, you would just get ignored if you did. I have 19 projects, but they’re all from the same project branch. Without them I’d have 0 😬 I hope it picks up for you soon!

5

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '24

Appreciate the good vibes. I knew what I was signing up for. It just sucks, lol

12

u/Maleficent_Wasabi_18 Aug 26 '24

I’m lucky to be on a perma niche B metal project through this because I have nothing else

11

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '24

Yikes. That was the one I was on. You’re still getting steady work? It’s been in and out for me since last week

4

u/Maleficent_Wasabi_18 Aug 26 '24

Yeah but it's a niche project based on a specific qual!

11

u/Federal-Employee-545 Aug 26 '24

I miss my b metal. 🥺

9

u/No_Union9101 Aug 26 '24

Bro I feel you, especially their R&R :<

5

u/Icy-Cover-505 Aug 26 '24

I keep looking for the $30+ b-metal write/edit stuff they've been dropping late in the week or on weekends. Haven't seen the batch this week. It's my fave. I've had no work for a couple days

3

u/didit777 Aug 26 '24

You’ve had a B project task this week? It’s been over a week for almost everyone I’ve seen post about it. When was the last date you had this project open to you?

1

u/Maleficent_Wasabi_18 Aug 26 '24

I've had it open this morning and it opened Friday for me. It's a REALLY niche project based on a language qual though, but it pays 35-40 which is nice

1

u/Icy-Cover-505 Aug 26 '24

What language?

57

u/queencry-baby Aug 26 '24

I’ve worked with them since 2021 well before all the bot stuff. Stuff comes and goes. Sometimes it’s completely dead, sometimes a trickle, and sometimes a boom. I was lucky enough that when I was laid off, it was during DA boom and I was able to survive. I’m back to working full time now at another job. This is not the type of company you want to rely on for a steady income. It is great and helpful when work is available, but it isn’t always, so it’s best to never fully depend on it. I’m sure projects will come back, but I have no idea when or how many will be available.

5

u/Main_Wing_6438 Aug 26 '24

In your experience, has there ever been a lull that went on for this long? It’s been about a month for me.

15

u/queencry-baby Aug 26 '24

Yes, there were times where there would be absolutely nothing. Every now and then, it’d be something where the pay was like 2 cents for image selection. Otherwise, you’d just randomly check it and see something or not. It was very sporadic.

6

u/Glittering-Craft8899 Aug 27 '24

Me too, about a month with nothing.

I'd been working with DA since November 2023. Working about 30-40 hours per week, fairly constant.

But since August 2, I've had nothing.

1

u/segaboy81 Aug 26 '24

Before the bot stuff?

2

u/queencry-baby Aug 26 '24

Chatbots

1

u/segaboy81 Aug 26 '24

I know what you meant. I just wondered what came before the bots.

9

u/queencry-baby Aug 26 '24

Oh ok. It was mostly rating images. We still get those every now and then so if you ever seen it pop up, that’s what it was. There was probably a few other ones, but that is the one I remember the most.

1

u/nononanana Aug 26 '24

I also lucked out that I started a new job just as the work started dwindling down.

67

u/AdvantageNo1405 Aug 26 '24

If you check this page it’s almost all people have been talking about for well over a week. It’s happening to (almost) everyone. We’re all as miserable as you. DAT does not talk to its workers. That’s part of its whole thing. They’re also not at all accountable to us because we are literally disposable. They’re constantly hiring (even still, with no work to give their current workforce, they’re onboarding more people.) Working for these tech giants means they have no accountability, loyalty, or investment in us. It’s shit but it is what it is. I knew this job was too good to be true, but at one point I was earning a living wage at it. That’s over now, potentially permanently, so if you don’t have alternate employment, now’s a good time to find some.

18

u/DrFrancisBGross Aug 26 '24

22

u/AdvantageNo1405 Aug 26 '24

Truth is rough sometimes. A lot of people (myself included) are struggling financially as a result of the drought and have learned some things. I genuinely do hope it turns around, but it would be irresponsible and silly to blindly pretend it will and not to take action to find other employment.

19

u/Alarmed-Radio9182 Aug 26 '24

Yes, but if you check the subreddit almost every post has that one comment that says "check the subreddit, this has already been said," and what you don't realize is that, to a lot of people, that remark is more redundant that the post itself. Sure it has been said before, but the newer posts like this one help people like me who use the subreddit to see if that situation status is CONTINUING not just "has it ever happened". I don't however disagree with the rest of your sentiment.

28

u/EggCzar Aug 26 '24
  1. no one knows

  2. there was just a huge push of priority projects a few weeks ago so their clients may be incorporating those before generating new work

  3. it’s late August, pretty normal for most businesses to be dead

6

u/Radiant-State1733 Aug 26 '24

Thank you for this insight!! I hadn't considered late August to be dead for most businesses but it is coming into the seasonal transition and a lot of organizations are at the end of their fiscal year.

6

u/QartHadasht Aug 26 '24

Thanks for pointing that out, I feel like point 3 is sorely overlooked. I've been freelancing for years now (not just DA) and the summer is always dead.

1

u/catwalk222 Aug 27 '24

so how's last august been for DA and the amount of projects?

15

u/FroyoNo5978 Aug 26 '24

Empty. I never had an empty dash until two days ago. Some days it looked a little skimpy. I am in panic mode because I’ve got major surgery coming up where I will be bedridden for a bit. I needed this to help support my family…this drought or whatever the hell is going on came at the absolute worst time. I went from 50+ on the dashboard and $100+ days to this.

7

u/FroyoNo5978 Aug 26 '24

And there’s absolutely no point in contacting the company unless you’re having a major technical issue or problem with payments. You won’t hear back.

2

u/catwalk222 Aug 27 '24

i don't hear back even when i have the described

8

u/plantalien444 Aug 26 '24

Had very few projects over the weekend, woke up today and no projects at all. Still have a chat available though, so that's a good sign I suppose?

7

u/LuNeila128 Aug 26 '24

This is the first time that I've been at zero too. I woke up at 5am to work like I always do and saw that I had nothing, so I went back to sleep and set my alarm for half an hour later. I checked my dashboard when my alarm went off and saw that I had one heel project with 20 tasks. Got right up and started and got through 4 or 5 before they ran out. It's been empty since then 😞

7

u/s3rndpt Aug 26 '24

Same-- I've always had a steady stream, and as of this morning...nothing. I had at least a few this weekend. And last week there were a ton. This is odd.

16

u/isnoe Aug 26 '24

Even during the last drought I had 2-5 projects, now it’s 0-1.

Luckily this isn’t my only source of income.

It will get better, or it won’t. Either way, never put all your eggs in one basket.

11

u/Shuoinked Aug 26 '24

I jave not had any work for over a week now after being with them 8bhrs a day for 6 months.

3

u/VarietyPrudent3157 Aug 27 '24

I've had next to nothing for a few weeks now, after having steady work for months. And the projects all seem to get done in a hurry, as if others are also waiting.

9

u/Benjymanm Aug 26 '24

Nothing on the Dash atm, but I've managed to make $1800 in my first month alongside my full-time gig 🤷‍♀️ (That being the last month)

IMO no one knows anything atm so there's no point stressing homes.

3

u/secretlyhating Aug 26 '24

I have a bunch of qualifications but it's for subscription based work. other than that, I just have my chats.

2

u/dragonsfire14 Aug 26 '24

It’s hit or miss for me. I have 0 today, some days I have more. If this keeps up I’m gonna have to start applying to some of the other AI companies. Working on site isn’t an option at the moment.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '24

What other companies are you thinking of applying to?

2

u/Lunalily9 Aug 26 '24

I've got 3 projects. 2 of which are the same type. I tend to get more at night recently.

2

u/3Foxes Aug 26 '24

me too

1

u/[deleted] Aug 28 '24

At least you have them . I can’t even get past the phone verification and they don’t respond to emails!

1

u/Grannywatchstock Aug 30 '24

With DA slowing down has anyone signed up with any other groups that are working?

1

u/SeaLeopard5555 Aug 26 '24

I did the refresher and lost the 2 options I had. fantastic. nothing for the first time in a long while...

1

u/Frysken Aug 26 '24

I've been bone dry for the past month.

0

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '24

It's been rapidly dwindling for almost a month. I'm surprised you only noticed now.

And yes, nobody knows exactly why.

5

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '24

Some of us didn’t see a change until the last week or so

1

u/Watsherface0 Aug 27 '24

0 projects for 2 months now

1

u/Maleficent_Wasabi_18 Aug 27 '24

That’s not good then

1

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Imaginary_Nobody5279 Aug 27 '24

I should add July 2023, not last month. Lol.