The cost of purchasing a course related to IT proffession is quite on a high side in our world today, still lots of competition out there, a lot of people searching for clients using different advertising methods making it harder to find clients.
Upwork is a fine place but the fees are outrageous. If you can establish a good relationship with the employer, you can find him/her outside of upwork and continue from there. It is usually the best route for the freelancer and the employer both. Be careful though, upwork shouldn't know what you are up to or they may ban your account. Upwork is a good platform but only till you find your decent employer, then you continue to build your network from there. Don't depend on upwork too much.