It's frowned upon by those who feel threatened (mostly because the institutions tell them to). but, really, the top-tier designers have no trouble finding work.

It's frowned upon by those who feel threatened (mostly because the institutions tell them to). but, really, the top-tier designers have no trouble finding work. In fact their body of work brings the client to them, rather than chasing work with spec offerings. That said, it's a grey area. I hate it sometimes.. but every now and then I find myself on those sites and it blows my mind to see $2k awarded for mediocre work. That motivates me to spend a few hours and compete for a project or two. It's certainty not sustainable to do it for a long period.