My Income Journey: From <$20,000 to Nearly $400,000 in 5 Years

I have been—by all accounts—incredibly fortunate in my career thus far, but there are a few distinct takeaways I notice when I reflect on the last five years. Since I went to a public state university and studied communications (not exactly a field with investment banking-level compensation), I figured I’d be a median earner forever. Discovering the art of the side hustle (and freelancing, contract work, and online businesses) sent me down a meandering path of trial and error that I’m recounting on the show today.  When I started working, I earned $12/hour, which transitioned later to a full-time salary of $52,000. By 2021, as a 26-year-old with no advanced degree, my total cobbled-together income encroached on $400,000. Looking back on it, I realize: The rules are fake. You don’t need to study finance or medicine at Harvard to make good money (though to be fair, I’m sure those things make it a lot easier). Regardless, it’s my hope that something in this episode will spark something useful for you. Learn more about our sponsor, Vin Social: http://vinsocialvip.com/. Transcripts can be found at https://www.podpage.com/money-with-katie-show/. — Mentioned in the Episode Money with Katie's 2023 Wealth Planner: https://moneywithkatie.com/new-2023-wealth-planner Study on students who graduate from college without any debt: https://www.aplu.org/our-work/5-archived-projects/college-costs-tuition-and-financial-aid/publicuvalues/publicuvalues-resources/student-debt-by-the-numbers.pdf Building a Six-Figure Side Hustle episode: https://www.podpage.com/money-with-katie-show/building-a-six-figure-side-hustle-monetizing-content-budgeting-with-variable-income/ The Role of Luck in Financial Outcomes: https://moneywithkatie.com/blog/how-a-traffic-stop-changed-my-life-luck-randomness — Follow Along at Money with Katie: https://moneywithkatie.com/ Follow Money with Katie! - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moneywithkatie/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/moneywithkatie   Subscribe to Morning Brew - Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewyt Follow The Brew! - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorningBrew - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrew Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices