Upwork can be tough to wrap your mind around in the beginning. Once you get the hang of it, it makes more sense. Did you ever go back and give it another try? You basically bid on jobs. I think they start you out with a number of bids each month or when you first register then, you may need to pay them to get more bids. Kind of like buying tokens. I'd compare it buying a subscription or membereship to get premium access to job leads, like FlexJobs or Contena.