I grew my income from $35,000 to $200,000 by job hopping and freelancing on the side. My goal is to make $1M a year.

9 hours ago 6

Real people, real paychecks — how they built their income and what they learned along the way.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Melissa Khan-Blackmore, a project manager and consultant in her early 30s from Tampa, Florida. Business Insider has verified her income and employment history with documentation. The following as-told-to essay has been edited for length and clarity.

I'm a childhood cancer survivor and the daughter of immigrants. Those experiences shaped my perspective on hard work, making the most of life, career growth, and the importance of helping others see what's possible.

I've built what I consider a portfolio career around project management; alongside corporate project management work and consulting, I also teach project management and project management professional (PMP) preparation. I'm on track to make over $200,000 this year.

Project management has taught me how to take a big goal and turn it into a realistic plan. That mindset has influenced nearly every aspect of my career and life.

The same project management principles I use professionally have helped me build a six-figure educational platform, create content, grow multiple income streams, and pursue opportunities I once thought I couldn't reach.

My career progression and salary journey looked roughly like this:

Patient care coordinator, $35,000

I studied public health in college. Originally, I thought I'd become a doctor, so I got my certified nursing assistant license. However, I found out I hated clinical work, so I decided to pivot into healthcare administration.

I started as a patient care coordinator at a community health center in April 2016. I made $17 an hour, or about $35,000 a year. I was doing a lot of work that was project management-based, though I didn't realize it at the time.

What I did know was that I wasn't making enough money to really survive. I started taking on more work and asked for a raise.

Clinical data analyst, $38,000

Five months after joining the company, I was promoted to a clinical data analyst role, where I was doing project coordinator administration. Initially, I wasn't given a raise — just a promotion with more project management responsibilities.

A few months later, I asked for a raise to $55,000 and got a small one, to $38,000.

At this point, I was very frustrated with the amount of money I was making and felt unfulfilled in my career path. I knew I wanted more and was trying to figure out how to create something for myself that makes me happy and where I'm valued, making an impact, and being paid well.

One day, a well-dressed woman who was running a project for our sister community health center walked into the office area at my workplace. She carried herself so well and seemed so organized. She drove a nice car, had nice shoes, and had such a good energy to her.

I found out she was a project management consultant, and I remember thinking, I want to be like her. That led me to research a career in project management.

Healthcare quality analyst, $57,000

Since I couldn't get paid what I knew I was worth at the company I was at, I left in May 2017 and transitioned into a healthcare quality analyst role. The job paid $57,000 a year and let me focus on project-related work. I was also given a lot of opportunities and felt valued.

In 2018, I got my PMP certification after learning about how it could improve my earning potential and impact as a product manager. (Editor's note: Khan-Blackmore later entered into a business relationship with the Project Management Institute, which issues the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, that is still ongoing.)

Much of my previous work had been viewed as junior-level coordination rather than strategic project management. The certification gave me the language, frameworks, and credibility to position myself as a project management professional rather than someone simply helping projects move forward behind the scenes.

More importantly, it gave me the confidence to advocate for higher-level opportunities and pursue roles that better reflected the value I was providing.

Project manager, $79,000

Once I had the certification, I negotiated hard to land a higher-paying product manager role that paid $79,000.

I had my sights set on hitting six figures as soon as I could. To me, that milestone would mean freedom to support myself, the choice to make career decisions based on growth instead of desperation, and the ability to build a purposeful life that felt meaningful and fulfilling.

Senior project manager, $90,000

I was promoted to senior project manager in December 2020, making $90,000 a year.

Although I'd been progressing through promotions, raises, and increased project responsibilities, it still didn't feel like enough.

It wasn't about status or luxury — it was about having options.

Program manager, $110,000

In January 2021, I secured an enterprise program manager role at another company, making $110,000 a year. This was also my first role where I had a direct report.

It felt unbelievable to get to that level. At that point, I didn't have the amount of experience that typical program managers had, so I had to do a lot of "fake it 'til you make it."

Program manager, $125,000

In June 2021, I received a raise to $125,000, which I'd negotiated into my contract when I started the role.

Hitting $125,000 was a dream. I didn't know a lot of other project managers with the amount of experience I did that were at that salary level, so it felt really cool.

However, shortly after that, I realized, Wait, this isn't all that I'm meant for. It wasn't only about the money; I needed to impact the world in a bigger way, and I wanted to get compensated for it.

I didn't want to move up and have more direct reports; I'm more of an executor and a visionary. I like managing projects, making sure the business is moving forward, and delivering something that changes lives.

Added freelance consulting work, $143,000

In 2022, I started to do consulting and freelancing alongside my full-time job, which I was able to do so because of my PMP.

I started taking on clients mainly through my network, such as through a Project Management Institute chapter, a networking event, or past coworkers.

When combined with my consulting income, I netted over $143,000 in 2022 and 2023.

Freelancing and consulting, $80,000

I took some time off from my full-time job and went part-time in 2024 to scale my business.

I continued freelancing and consulting, but took a pay cut for about 12 months and made about $80,000 that year.

Making less for a year didn't really have a major impact. I did feel anxious that I wasn't going in the right direction and was scared I was making the wrong decision, but I had savings and lived a very frugal lifestyle, so nothing changed for me financially.

Added PM education business and affiliate partnerships to full-time job and consulting, $200,000+

Last year, I went back to working full-time in my enterprise program manager job and continued expanding my freelance work into PM leadership, consulting, education, coaching, affiliate partnerships, and content creation opportunities.

Now that we're in mid-2026, I'm on track to make a combined income of over $200,000 this year.

My goal is to eventually break $1 million a year

The cool thing about this field is that it feels like the earning potential is unlimited — I know project managers who are making $700,000 a year — and I still feel that I'm not fully satisfied.

My next goal is to continue to grow my consultancy with more consultants under me to take on large project management contracts, and hit $700,000 a year in the next few years, eventually breaking $1 million a year.

I want to build wealth not because of what it allows me to consume, but because of what it allows me to contribute, when used intentionally: more opportunities to invest in the education and growth of others, contribute to environmental initiatives, and support causes I care about, such as animal rescue.

Money is a tool, and in the right hands, it can create second chances, solve problems, and improve lives.

I try to be intentional about my spending

While my income has increased significantly over the years, my day-to-day lifestyle hasn't changed nearly as much.

Growing up, I learned not to take stability for granted. I've remained fairly frugal and still feel a lot of guilt around money. I save aggressively, maintain a significant emergency cushion, think carefully about major purchases, and try to be intentional with my spending.

One big recent exception was replacing my car, which I'd had for over a decade. Friends and family constantly joked that it didn't match my career success. My new car is a Range Rover — my dream car for as long as I can remember. It feels a little selfish, and I have a lot of guilt about it, but I knew I couldn't continue to drive around a car that felt like it was going to break down any moment.

Most importantly, increased income has given me peace of mind. I no longer make decisions from a place of financial fear. I have the freedom to take calculated risks, pursue meaningful opportunities, weather unexpected challenges, and focus on creating impact rather than simply paying the next bill.

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Robin Madell has spent over two decades as a corporate writer and communications consultant in New York and San Francisco, serving as a copywriter, ghostwriter, and speechwriter for executives, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders across diverse industries, with a focus on productivity, work-life balance, stress management, and women's leadership. As a business journalist, Robin contributes to Business Insider's Strategy section, and her work has also been published in Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Forbes, US News & World Report, and many other business publications. Robin is the author of "Surviving Your Thirties: Americans Talk About Life After 30" and has contributed to many business books including "Ditch Your Inner Critic at Work: Evidence-Based Strategies to Thrive in Your Career," "Rise to the Top: How Women Leverage Their Professional Persona to Earn More," and "Be Your Own Mentor: Strategies from Top Women on the Secrets of Success," published by Random House. Before starting her own business as a corporate writer, Robin held executive positions in communications, journalism, and advertising, including as vice president and managing director at Draftfcb in New York, as managing editor at Cline Davis & Mann, and as director of communications at Catalyst, Inc., on Wall Street; she has also served on the Board of Directors of the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association in New York and San Francisco. An avid runner and two-time Boston Marathon qualifier, Robin graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with honors from University of Oregon, a.k.a. TrackTown USA, where she majored in English — visit her on her website or connect with her on LinkedIn.