Recently, I sat down and did something I'd never done before: I added up exactly how much I'd earned across my 20+ years in writing and marketing. The number shocked me: over $2 million (and it made me wonder what I’d spent it all on!). As I stared at the figure on my calculator, I couldn't help but reflect on the journey that led me here and the common thread that had been hiding in plain sight all along.
It's funny how life works out. I actually wanted to be a fashion designer. But being good at maths and computer science in school, I initially followed the "sensible" path. A computer science degree would guarantee employment, everyone said. Six months into a badly-organised new course, however, I realised something was missing: I craved human connection. Numbers and code weren't enough.
So I pivoted, enrolling in a Bachelor of Economics with a double major in Marketing and Japanese. It felt right, but I had no idea that this decision would set me on a path where words, not figures, would become my greatest asset.
My first job after university paid just $30,000 per year as a coordinator for international relations with a local city government in southern Japan. On paper, it wasn't impressive, but it was here that I first discovered the power of my words.
Over two years, I:
Gave dozens of speeches to local Japanese communities
Wrote an English newsletter for foreign residents
Built a bilingual website from scratch using HTML for the city's international association
Wrote long, detailed emails to friends back home, an early form of blogging
Those emails became my creative outlet. Friends would reply saying how much they enjoyed my stories and observations. I didn't realise it then, but I was honing my voice.
Returning home, I landed a job as a marketing officer for a small private university at $34,000 per annum. I wrote newsletters, sales emails, and gave presentations. This is when I began to identify as a marketer, though in retrospect, I was really a writer who specialised in marketing.
As I grew into the role of Marketing and Admissions Manager, my salary increased to $85,000, but my core work remained the same: writing course guides, newsletters, and ghostwriting articles and letters for senior staff.
My career path led me to a web marketing agency as Marketing and Communications Manager, where I wrote SEO website copy for over 200 client websites. The volume was intense, but it taught me versatility and how to quickly adapt my writing style to various industries and audiences.
Returning to the university sector with a salary of $95,000, I continued writing, editing, ghostwriting, and delivering speeches and presentations. My words were becoming more valuable, though I still didn't fully recognise that writing was my true strength.
After completing my Master's in Marketing, I became Chief of Staff to a university head - a $140,000 position where writing took centre stage. I crafted policy and strategy papers, ghostwrote for senior staff, and produced an internal newsletter.
A second Master's degree, this time in education management, helped push my salary to $165,000. The common denominator across these roles? Writing that informed, persuaded, and moved people to action.
When my daughter was born, I kept writing during paid maternity leave: freelancing for clients and starting a blog. The income was modest but meaningful, proving I could write independently of an organisation.
After having my son, I returned to university work, managing academic projects and writing internal communications, strategy papers, reports, and minutes at $130,000 per annum.
Then came a role as Marketing Director for a startup, writing white papers and web copy for $140,000. But it was during COVID that everything changed. With the world slowing down, I finally had space to reflect on what I truly wanted.
I wrote my first book: a best-selling careers guide, and began earning as a career coach, then a book coach. While working part-time at another startup for $100,000, I was building something of my own.
Today, my ghostwriting, book coaching, and marketing coaching business earns me close to $100,000 annually. I work nearly full-time for myself with authors from around the world. On my current list of clients are people from Belgium, Cambodia, the USA, and many Australians.
Looking back at my career trajectory, I'm amazed it took me so long to realise the obvious: writing hasn't just been a part of my career, it has been the foundation of my entire professional journey and source of my deepest satisfaction.
When I added up my lifetime earnings:
$60,000 from two years in Japan
$370,000 from my first university role as it evolved
Hundreds of thousands from subsequent roles
Nearly $300,000 from my self-employed ventures
The total surpassed $2 million - all generated, essentially, by my ability to put words together in meaningful ways.
The irony isn't lost on me. I started out thinking I needed to design clothes or crunch numbers to be successful. Instead, I found success by weaving words into compelling stories, persuasive arguments, and clear communications.
Now, as I help other writers monetise their skills, I share this insight: Your words have value. More value than you might realise. And there's nothing more rewarding than building a career around the thing you naturally do best.
Connect with me on LinkedIn to follow my journey and learn how you too can turn your writing into a sustainable, rewarding career.
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