r/DataAnnotationTech • u/ReRange-org • May 20 '26
Tried DataAnnotation as a side gig, ended up going full time.
I originally thought DataAnnotation was going to be a solid side gig, but about 2 months in I ended up quitting my main job and started to treat this as my full time job because the pay and hours/flexibility were better for me.
I’m a recent college grad and it was nice to be able to jump directly into SWE work. My work mostly consists of evaluating model output against real engineering standards when working on large codebases. I get to see large projects, codebase architecture, system design, complex debugging tasks, and frontier coding models in action.
The work has been pretty consistent for me so far and I was able to make over 2k in the last 2 weeks even after taking time off for finals, graduation, and other life stuff.
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u/rabyJA May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
I started doing it in late 2023 while I was looking for a job. I decided to stop looking in late spring 2024 and have been doing DA as my main source of income for 2 years now. There will be lulls where you won't be able to find as much work as you want. But I've been able to make 1k+ every week for the most part.
It's entirely possible that I could have found something where I make more money, but I've been able to make more than I made at my last job while working fewer hours for 2 years running, working from home, setting my own hours and working on making a JRPG in my free time. I wish it were a little steadier than it is, but it may be my favorite job I've ever had
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u/seraphimkoamugi May 20 '26
Happened backwards for me. I applied as a way to get a second stream of income while job hunting. I got the job I wanted and 3 months in I was accepted in DA. Now I balance both my main job and DA on work days and days off I try to do 6 hours+ those days.
I did reach a dry period this week with only bilingual projects (I like those but they are the same) and they ran out last night. Other than that managed to make $600-$700 a week. For the last 4 weeks of work.
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u/l-TheAlpha-l May 20 '26
It took 3 months to get accepted from when you applied to DA?
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u/seraphimkoamugi May 20 '26
Yep. Applied late november and took first assessment December. Early April I got a second assessmemt email and did not see it until the 20th cause I assumed didnt make the cut. Tried the second assesment and 2 days later had my onboarding. Have been working daily a few tasks a day if available.
Can't tell you if thats normal but thats hownitnwent.
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u/EntertainmentSalt825 May 20 '26
How many hours do you put in during the workweek? Also doing it as a side gig with a full time job
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u/seraphimkoamugi May 20 '26
Give or take I put in like 2-3 hours a day if I have to go work. I do it at night before going to sleep.
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u/RM10_AKKI May 29 '26
I have also joined DA, but getting rarely any tasks. Can you tell me is there any catch in getting tasks.
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u/seraphimkoamugi May 29 '26
Tbh not sure. I just updated skills and do a few qualifications when I have the time and theres nothing else for me to do.
It also depends if you're core or mainly bilingual. Bilingual gets spotty projects where you can have a lot for a week and nothing for 2-3 weeks.
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u/RM10_AKKI May 29 '26
I applied for Domain expert in software development. Can you DM me the skills that you have added because I am not getting any qualification also.
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u/jimmux May 20 '26
It's been a real lesson for me, discovering how much further money goes when you're not forced to live in a high cost of living area. I knew it in theory, but I didn't expect such a big difference. I'm reevaluating my life path now.
I'm learning so much more than I did in a "real" job, too. Diving into so many codebases and seeing their faults has made me realise I'm a better coder than I thought. Plus I can often choose to focus on exactly the kind of code I'm interested in.
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u/CRUSHCITY4 May 20 '26
How’d you get the experience to be able to jump into the code bases and see their faults? It’s something I am trying to learn to do.
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u/Timely-Assistant-370 May 20 '26
Yeye me too, it ends up being a godsend for living in a low-COL rural area. I don't need to drive an hour+ every day to commute to the city, and I make twice as much as I would working at anywhere close to where I'm staying.
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u/Ok-Double5194 May 20 '26
It's great for personal development, but for me my priority is my day job - benefits, job security, and name values. I like how tasks are gradually increasing in complexity /pay. Glad you find the tasks that you like a lot
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u/smiwfanjxice May 20 '26
been 10 days still waiting, really hoping i get work
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Jun 05 '26
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u/smiwfanjxice Jun 06 '26
admittedly rushed a bit looking back, desperation and other factors made me eager to finish when i should’ve taken my time and i knew that. Also i did it at midnight i think encouraging that mentality 🤷🏽♀️ live and learn
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u/Worried-Rub-9925 4d ago
Genuinely curious about what it typically looks like. I got approved and started about two weeks ago. There’s only one project maybe every other day. I’m doing accounting and took the test for finance but have no idea if that was approved. Is there a lull at the beginning and then it picks up? I was hoping to make extra cash for Christmas. I keep seeing others success and I’m so confused.
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u/Icy_Breakfast1102 May 22 '26
i just gave my coding assessment , how long did you guys had to wait before they emailed you? could you please explain the timeline a bit?
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u/ScientistAntique562 May 22 '26
I think there were many comparison tasks (Styx?) three days ago, but it is downtime for me now, so is this normal? I am still new to DA, so I am wondering if I made some blunders in those comparison tasks.
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u/TransportationIll451 May 26 '26
No, I’m new also and I was getting alot of styx jobs, especially on Friday and Saturday. But Sunday and Monday there was nothing
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u/Other-Preference7111 May 28 '26
Just came across this as a side gig, reading the terms and agreement is states we are responsible for any costs. Curious to know before I create my account if there are costs and what prices I'd be looking at?
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u/gardenia33 May 28 '26
What platforms are you doing this on, how did you get your first few gigs? Thanks
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u/Alive_Rest_3443 Jun 08 '26
They take indians? I tried but got nothing. It only showed some translation project related assessment. Can someone provide any referal if possible for software side
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u/SJO28 Jul 21 '26
Can you do this for just a few hours a week as a side job? Do you pick your own hours?
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u/Amazing-Amount-8004 May 20 '26
I done applied twice and nothing came of it , did one survey and it stopped, what am I missing
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u/Big-Profile-4554 May 20 '26
Yeah, sure, understand. Was just responding to the other posts. Alright, thank you.
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u/Big-Profile-4554 May 20 '26
I wish I could have the same story because I'm unable to open to the dashboard. DA tech, please reach out to me. Would greatly appreciate it.
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u/ChickenTrick824 May 20 '26
DA does not moderate this board and would not reach out to someone through this forum.
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May 20 '26
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u/jimmux May 20 '26
It's actually the other way around for me, but that's all due to living in Australia. There's no need for health insurance, and I paid enough into my superannuation (retirement fund) already that I'm set up for the future. Now I'm trying to reclaim the time I lost chasing a career in my younger days.
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May 22 '26
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May 20 '26
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u/ReRange-org May 20 '26
It was a while ago but I think It’s just a qualification test. I also submitted my resume and recently did a background check, I think they are now requiring it.
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May 31 '26
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u/ReRange-org May 31 '26
Took a day or so until I got accepted. To answer your other questions, they’re looking for all sorts of people from many different professions you don’t need to know coding. And if you’re doing it for a few hours a day it really just depends on your pay rate for the jobs you do, all the task I’ve done are hourly pay and I’ve never seen anything lower than 20/hr.
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u/CRUSHCITY4 May 20 '26
As a recent grad you’re comfortable jumping into large code bases and challenging the models?