Chabely Rodriguez takes money seriously. She strategically chose an affordable college and lucrative career path that has set her up to live comfortably at 30 years old.
Rodriguez is a certified anesthesiologist assistant, and in 2024, she switched from a salaried role to working as a traveling CAA in contract positions. As a result, she brings in over $300,000 a year. She has a master’s degree in anesthesiology, which allowed her to then get her CAA credentials — without needing to attend medical school.
She still cleared $200,000 a year in her previous position, often picking up overtime hours and 24-hour shifts on top of her full-time schedule — the product of of a “scarcity mindset” she says she carried with her since childhood.
“I always want to prepare for [the worst],” she told CNBC Make It in 2023. “I’ve worked a lot of overtime hours just to make sure that I always have something extra.”
Now, she sticks mostly to 40-hour workweeks with extra shifts here and there when her staff needs coverage. She could be making closer to $500,000 a year if she worked similar overtime hours to what she previously took on, but she doesn’t feel pressured to, she says.
“I want to make more money, but I don’t want to burn myself out along the way.” Rodriguez says. “So now I’ve hit above the $300,000 mark, I feel good about that.”
‘More secure, more confident’
As her income has grown, Rodriguez’s aspirations have evolved. She started her career while living in Florida and thought she would one day buy a house there. But she moved to Georgia in 2023 and switched to a six-month contract position there in 2024.
Realizing she wanted to spend more time traveling and that she could make more money as a contractor, her priorities shifted away from homeownership.
“I’m still not to the point of wanting to settle anywhere,” she says. “I still want to continue to explore and switch things around and potentially be outside of the country for two months or something out of the year.”
When her contract finished in Georgia, Rodriguez moved to New Mexico, where she lives now. She invests aggressively, aiming to put 40% of her pre-tax income into her brokerage and retirement accounts. Her total investments hit $500,000 in January 2025.
She’s been able to invest consistently in part because she paid off her student loans — nearly $124,000 — quickly in 2023.
“Because I was aggressive with paying off my loans, I could then shift towards investing,” Rodriguez says. “I would say, I exceeded my expectations along the way. So that’s been nice, and I feel like that’s made me just a happier, calmer person — more secure, more confident.”
Her main goals now are to avoid burnout from work, save for the future and enjoy her life in the present.
She previously set a goal of investing $2 million and retiring early, but she’s become less tied to a number and more focused on sustainable growth so she has the option to slow down by the time she’s 50 — if she wants to.
‘I can just breathe’
Rodriguez’s money mindset has also begun to shift away from the scarcity she previously felt. She still aims to live within her means, sharing rent with her partner and driving a standard Toyota Corolla. But she’s willing to splurge on travel, balancing bigger international trips with backpacking and camping.
Rodriguez is now willing to acknowledge her own accomplishments and no longer pressures herself to pick up every extra shift. “That’s something that I feel like I couldn’t have done until I got to this point,” she says.
“I feel so much more comfortable, and I can remove myself from situations if I’m uncomfortable,” she adds. “I can treat my partner to something, or treat myself to something … I am now saying, ‘Hey, I make enough. I don’t need to push it past my limit to pay for this.’ Now, I can just breathe.”
Are you ready to buy a house? Take Smarter by CNBC Make It’s new online course How to Buy Your First Home. Expert instructors will help you weigh the cost of renting vs. buying, financially prepare, and confidently navigate every step of the process—from mortgage basics to closing the deal. Sign up today and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off $97 (+taxes and fees) through July 15, 2025.
Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life, and request to join our exclusive community on LinkedIn to connect with experts and peers.
