OMG, did I seriously waste that many hours today?

I was looking through job listings and came across one from Outlier for an AI evaluator position. It was advertised as a remote job, so I figured I had nothing to lose by applying and seeing what happened.

I filled out the application, completed the online interview, and went through the identity verification process. I guess I was accepted because, instead of receiving an email officially telling me I had been approved, the website took me straight to a dashboard where I was instructed to start training.

The training itself involved watching multiple almost identical videos and evaluating them. I had to explain what I liked and disliked about each one, which video I preferred and why, what I thought about the AI, whether the videos looked AI-generated or realistic, and how I would rate the sound and video quality. Basically, I had to analyze the videos and provide detailed feedback. The training took about an hour, and I thought I was finally getting somewhere.

After that, I had to finish setting up my account and then create another account on a completely different website where I would actually be completing the tasks. There were so many steps involved, but I kept going because I figured it would be worth it if I could start earning some money from home.

When I finally went to start my first task, I was told I needed to verify my identity again by reading a paragraph aloud. Unfortunately, I was using my desktop computer instead of my laptop, and I couldn’t figure out how to complete that step on the computer I was using. So, I backed out and tried logging into my account on my laptop, thinking I could finish the verification there.

Except it wouldn’t let me log in.

I tried accessing my account again, hoping I could get it to work, but then I received an email saying I had violated their community guidelines. WHAT?! I honestly have no idea what I did wrong. Maybe switching from my desktop to my laptop triggered something in their system, but I wasn’t trying to do anything suspicious. I was simply trying to complete the verification process so I could start working. I had no idea that switching devices could potentially cause a problem.

Now I’m left wondering what happened, whether my account has been permanently restricted, and whether all that time I spent completing the application, interview, verification, and training was for nothing.

The dashboard even showed that I had earned $10, but honestly, I doubt I’ll ever see that money. I don’t think I’ll be able to access my account again, let alone get paid for the work I’ve already done.

I’m just so frustrated because I spent hours trying to get this opportunity off the ground. I thought I had found a legitimate remote job that might help me earn some extra money, and instead, I ended up with more questions than answers and an account violation I don’t understand.

So much time, so much effort, and absolutely no guarantee that I’ll get anything out of it. I could have spent those hours applying for other jobs or doing something more productive.

Anyway, I’m back to looking for jobs. Hopefully, the next opportunity I find won’t involve jumping through a million hoops just to have the door slammed in my face before I even get started.

Tommy shared a link with me from Reddit talking about the company Outlier. The opinions in the discussion were mixed: some people believe the company is a scam, while others claim they have successfully completed tasks and received payment for their work. However, despite these differing experiences, there seemed to be one common theme throughout the discussion: Outlier appears to be a disorganized company with a poorly designed and inconsistently managed system.

Several people described problems with how the platform operates, suggesting that the process can be confusing, frustrating, and unpredictable. While some users seem to have had success earning money through the platform, others appear to have encountered difficulties that have left them questioning whether the opportunity is legitimate or worth their time and effort.

Based on the discussion, it may be unfair to label Outlier an outright scam, especially given that some people report being paid for their work. At the same time, the reports raise legitimate concerns about the company’s organization, communication, and overall reliability. The fact that some people have received payment does not necessarily mean the platform is well run or that everyone will have a positive experience.

Overall, the general impression is that Outlier may offer legitimate opportunities to earn money by completing tasks, but its chaotic operations and poorly implemented systems seem to be major sources of frustration for many users.

Well, that was my day. I’m not sure what to think anymore. It was so frustrating and I wasted my time.

In other funny news, Chris somehow managed to give away Karissa’s dandruff shampoo! Apparently, he assumed the Head & Shoulders belonged to Alex because he didn’t think it was the kind of shampoo a woman would use. I had to explain to him that Head & Shoulders is a medicated shampoo, not something that’s exclusively for men, and that Karissa actually needs it.

Now Chris is on a mission to replace the shampoo he accidentally gave away. The whole situation makes me laugh because it all started with him making an assumption based on a bottle of shampoo. Poor Karissa lost her shampoo, Alex somehow became the suspected owner, and Chris has found himself responsible for fixing the whole mess.

I have two appointments tomorrow. The first is a doctor’s appointment in the morning, and Tommy is going to take me. After that, he’ll drop me off at the university library, where I’ll have my second appointment outside at one of the tables. That appointment is for medication management.

I know everything will be fine, and I’m trying to remind myself of that. I think I’m just feeling overwhelmed by everything right now, especially the whole remote job situation. It’s causing me a lot of stress, and I feel like it’s taking up so much of my mental energy.

It’s already the end of the day, and I can’t help feeling like I’ve wasted the entire day without getting anything productive done. I know that being stressed and overwhelmed can make it difficult to focus, but it’s still frustrating when I feel like I should have accomplished more.

Honestly, I just want to shut down my computer, put all of this aside for a while, and sit down with a good book. I think I need a break from constantly thinking about the job situation and worrying about what comes next.

Maybe the best thing I can do for myself tonight is to stop pushing, permit myself to rest, and enjoy some quiet time reading. I have two appointments to take care of tomorrow, and I can continue my job search tomorrow. I don’t have to figure everything out today, and taking a break doesn’t mean I’ve failed or wasted my time. Sometimes, I just need to step away, catch my breath, and give myself a chance to feel like myself again.