Melissa Rudy is a 32-year-old mother of three young girls (ages: 4, 2 and 3 months) who recently made a life-changing decision to work full-time on Elance.
Melissa – born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio – graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and a writing certificate in Journalism. She then worked for 3 ½ years as a Technical Writer for a software company – writing user manuals, newsletters and marketing materials. She quickly rose through the ranks, becoming an E-Commerce Content Manager for two upscale home decor websites: www.frontgate.com and www.grandinroad.com.
Fast forward a few years and add two children to her daily routine, and Melissa had grown tired of the long work commutes and 60-hour workweeks. She realized that she needed a more flexible work schedule so she could spend more time with her family.
This is where Elance comes in. Melissa heard about Elance through a friend, a mompreneur-turned-Elancer. She decided to try it out for herself on a part-time basis.
Melissa’s first few projects were writing SEO articles, and then given her web background, she quickly transitioned into creating web page content. The excitement of being awarded projects and receiving bid invitations kept her on Elance.
In March of this year, after Melissa had her third daughter – she made that life-changing decision I brought up earlier. She quit her ‘day job’ in the corporate world and started her career as a full-time Elancer.
Since transitioning to full-time Elance work, Melissa has a steady workflow based on her set of criteria for bidding on projects. She keeps the work coming by bidding on projects in her area of expertise – web content. With this strategy, Melissa now earns more each year than she did at her previous corporate position.
“Working at home is awesome – I absolutely love it! I am never bored and my work is never tedious,” said Melissa. “I finish one project and move on to the next. My work is always something new and that excites me.”
Learn more about Melissa’s success story – in her own words – on Elance Talk.
