How A 40-Year-Old Went From Earning $5.15 Per Hour To More Than $1 Million Per Year: 'I Always Kept My Eyes Open For New Opportunities'

Marc Guberti

Sat, Apr 5, 2025, 11:00 AM 4 min read

It's normal for people to increase their income as they get more work experience and develop new skills. However, a recent "CNBC Make It" video tells the story of a 40-year-old who went from earning $5.15 per hour to netting more than $1 million per year. He is one of the outliers that can inspire others to pursue bigger goals.

Jamal Robinson started in the fast food industry and eventually became a tech worker. Along with the career jumps came a large portfolio, and he managed to accumulate a $3.5 million net worth before turning 40.

Robinson shares his journey and some of the strategies he used to accelerate his earnings.

Don't Miss:

• Inspired by Uber and Airbnb – Deloitte's fastest-growing software company is transforming 7 billion smartphones into income-generating assets – with $1,000 you can invest at just $0.26/share!

• Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — invest pre-IPO from $0.55 per share now.

The salary for his first job after college wasn't substantial. He told CNBC that he was only set to earn roughly $32,000 per year, but the context surrounding this job set him up for seven-figure years.

It turns out that $32,000 per year was a massive underpay, and he did some quick research to discover that the average engineer was making $54,000 per year at the time. Robinson called HR about this discrepancy, and the company immediately offered him an additional $10,000 per year.

While $42,000 per year was still lower than average, Robinson saw the benefits of negotiating a higher salary. A single email increased his earnings by more than 30%.

Trending: It’s no wonder Jeff Bezos holds over $250 million in art — this alternative asset has outpaced the S&P 500 since 1995, delivering an average annual return of 11.4%. Here’s how everyday investors are getting started.

The experience changed him, causing him to always stay on top of average salaries. Robinson said that he asks his peers how much they make to gauge if he is getting a fair salary.

Robinson didn't stay at that first job for long. He worked in startups and moved from one job to the next, raising his salary along the way.

"I always kept my eyes open for new opportunities," he told CNBC.

He didn't just take new jobs. He also made a conscious effort to build connections with his peers. Those connections helped him land jobs at IBM, Amazon, Intel, Microsoft, and other tech giants. Working for those companies and job hopping helped him accelerate his earnings. It didn't take long for him to go from barely making 6-figures to being deep in the 6-figure range. Then, his annual earnings exceeded $1 million.