I’ve been looking for a Wordpress coder, or at least someone who can customize an existing theme, for a friend of mine. So far, I’ve spoken to a dozen people who say they can meet the deadline. But the minute we talk about money, things start to get a bit irritating.

First off, I will not pay someone on an hourly basis. I’m Filipino, and I know how natives think. I’ve seen and heard of foreigners being cheated; and I have parted with hard earned money for tacky services . I also hate being labeled as a scammer just because I am Asian. It’s so easy to say that you worked 10 hours on a project, when really you spent half the time watching TV or just staring at the monitor. Easy money is tempting, and you think you’re getting the most out of the deal. But what you’re really doing is setting yourself up for a lazy start on your career. Unfortunately, this is how many Pinoys work in cyberspace.

The reason I wanted to hire a Filipino was because of the time difference. I would like to be able to contact them when I am awake or able to work. But most of the people whom I approached had day jobs and would only be able to work part time on the project. It just didn’t occur to me sooner that time isn’t against me this time around. My friend can wait or she can find a coder herself.

There are literally hundreds of Indians who will do the work for me, for less than $50 with a turnaround time of 48 hours. It would have been a good deal, but I’ve dealt with Indians in the past and I must say I am not satisfied with the output. This is not to say that all Indians are liars, cheaters or even unprofessional; all I’m saying is that I do not want to leave my friend hanging in the air and pay for work that wasn’t done according to her instructions.

You approached me so you pay whatever rate I offer. This attitude is so prevalent amongst many of the Filipinos whom I’ve contacted or worked with in the past. Did it ever occur to them that there are others far more skilled than them, and willing to sacrifice a few extra dollars to build a reputation? I guess not, because they think they have bragging rights.

Why am I bothering to write about this? Because you should all know that in cyberspace, there are billions of people who will do the same job you are doing right now, for half the amount you’re getting paid. If you want to build a stable client base and never run out of work, you have to learn to compete. Skill is not everything, and not everybody wants quality – believe me, I know! They want cheap services and these people understand if the results are mediocre.

The funny things is, if these people bothered to ask how many projects I had lined up; they would have known that I was about to give them a part time job for the next 4 months. And I would have recommended them to my offshore clients. I guess they are more interested in easy money than long term deals.