To the Freelancers Charging $30/Hour (or Less)

An open letter to encourage you to reach for more

Krista Aoki
The Post-Grad Survival Guide

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Photo: CoWomen/Unsplash

Four years ago, I sat at my cousin’s apartment in California. She and her ex-husband, a businessman, had just rescued me from an abusive relationship.

“Let’s look forward, Krista,” her ex-husband said to me, possibly trying to get me to think positively instead of bawling nonstop. “What goals do you have for your life?”

I had just spent the last 3 months as an Assistant Case Manager at a law firm where I started at $12 per hour. I loved what I did. And I felt so seen by the firm when I received my first raise, to $14 per hour, within just two months.

At that point in my life, $14/hour was the most an employer had ever paid me.

So, I answered his question.

“I want to find another job that will pay me $14 per hour.”

I look back on this moment frequently. I had no idea how to find companies that would pay more. Thinking about negotiating froze my nervous system. I didn’t know how to translate my efficiency, skills, nor wit into a larger paycheck.

I had no idea I was worthy of more — more than pushing papers, more than $14 per hour, more than being abused by capitalism just because they don’t teach something…

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