How a Med Student Built a Fulfilling Life Freelancing

Melissa Hong is wired to solve problems, and she’s happiest when her solutions make a difference. That’s why becoming a doctor seemed like the perfect fit for her—until it wasn’t.

The turning point came during her final stretch of medical school. “I thought being a doctor was the path I wanted to take,” Melissa shares. “I love helping people figure out the cause of their health issues and finding ways to resolve them.” But she didn’t love the long, draining days at the hospital.

Melissa knew something had to change. If the hospital days felt heavy and joyless so early in her career, how would she feel two, five, or even ten years down the line?

“I had already come so far that quitting felt like a huge risk,” she reflects. “But I knew I needed to take a step back and think about what I wanted out of life.”

During that time of reflection, Melissa remembered how she felt teaching herself HTML back in high school. “I’d stay up late at night, designing websites just for fun,” she says with a smile. “It brought me so much joy, and that made me wonder: Could I make a career out of it?”

Melissa with her partner in Santa Barbara

A new direction

To see if web development was her future, Melissa enrolled in a 14-week coding boot camp in which she learned the fundamentals of Python and full-stack JavaScript. “Taking this course was a huge risk,” she says. “I didn’t have the money for mistakes. I was living from motel to motel and on food stamps.” But the risk felt right, and in true Melissa style, she gave it her all.

Along with her coding classes, Melissa joined Upwork; whatever career path she chose, one thing was clear—she wanted to be her own boss.

Melissa started on Upwork as a virtual assistant, testing the waters to see if freelancing was for her. Putting her best into every project, she was thrilled when she saw that “people loved my work and gave me 5-star ratings. That’s when I realized what I was doing actually had value to the client,” she recalls.

With her confidence boosted, Melissa dove deeper into freelance, turning her focus to web design projects. “It took some time to figure out what clients really wanted before I finally landed a web design project. But once I got into website and mobile app projects on Upwork, I felt happier and my business took off. Clients loved my work, gave me high ratings, and that led to more invites and even more top ratings.”

“That’s how it all started,” says Melissa. “I’ve expanded to an agency (OMG Code), I’m ranked Top Rated Plus with a 100% success score, and I’ve worked more than 5,000 hours on projects on Upwork.”

Aligning her values and passion

Walking away from medical school was a big leap, but shifting from medicine to coding felt like a natural move for Melissa. “I was attracted to medicine because I love helping people and using my mind to solve problems,” she explains. “With coding, I still get that mental challenge and get to help people, just in a different way.”

She adds confidently, “I’ve learned that when you stay true to yourself and do something that aligns with who you are, you’ll always excel.”

Take Wix, for example. Melissa loves working with the platform so much that she’s been named one of the “Top 15 Wix Specialists” on Upwork. She’s also a Wix Community Leader, a Velo Certified Official Wix Legend Partner, and gets invited to speak at Wix events.

Fueling her drive

After nearly 10 years of working on web projects, Melissa is just as excited as when she first started. Her secret? She’s intentional about the projects she takes on.

“Clients can tell I love what I do and enjoy working with them,” she says. “I don’t think I’d feel this way if I were working as an employee. As a freelancer, I get to choose who I work with and what projects I take on. I end up with clients I appreciate, and who appreciate me back. Who wouldn’t want to work in that kind of environment?”

Melissa is also mindful of where she works to deliver her best results. “Sometimes you have to pull late nights, but after all those long shifts at the hospital—sometimes overnight—I realized I don’t want to be tied to a place that’s not my home or somewhere that brings me comfort.”

Melissa with her oldest son in Puerto Vallarta

Melissa’s tips for freelancing success

Getting started as a freelancer isn’t easy. When people ask Melissa how she made it, she says, “I give 100% to every project and back it up with security and experience. If you do that, you’ll succeed as a freelancer.”

Melissa’s approach has paid off. An impressive 71% of her clients come back to her for more work, and 25% of her clients are referrals.

Despite her success, Melissa knows that even the most talented freelancers can struggle to stand out in a crowded market. So, in true Melissa fashion, she’s creating a digital course on how to get started freelancing. “I walk through all the steps you need to land that first client. There’s a lot that goes into it.”

One of her biggest pieces of advice is to have enough work lined up before you quit your day job. “I did it the hard way where I just quit and struggled for a bit,” she says. “I don't want anyone to go through that if they don’t have to.”

Here are some of Melissa’s top tips for getting started:

• Make sure the job aligns with you. Be honest with yourself: Would you actually enjoy working on the project? Can you confidently deliver what’s needed?
• Offer a guarantee. “When I didn’t have reviews on Upwork yet, I’d tell clients that if they weren’t happy with my work or if there were any issues, I’d give them a full refund. Or I’d keep working on it until they were 100% satisfied.”
• Hop on a video call. Melissa uses video calls to gain project clarity and give the client a sense of what it’s like to work with her. “At the end of the day, clients are looking for someone they can trust to get the job done.”
• Be honest and transparent. If you’re not sure about a project deadline or you’re confused about the scope, don’t be afraid to speak up. “I’m quick to ask a client, ‘What exactly do you mean by this?’ Or, on rare occasions, ‘This is taking longer than expected because I want to make sure I do the best job possible. I just wanted to inform you, but I still am going to try to get as close as I can.’ Clients appreciate honest and open communication.”

Is freelancing right for you?

Melissa values honesty and transparency in both her personal and professional life. And she believes the best place to start is by being honest with yourself.

“Take a moment to look inward and really think about what you want out of life,” Melissa suggests. “What do you want to achieve? Why does it matter to you? At the end of your life, will you be glad you pursued it, or will you regret not doing something else?”

Next, ask yourself how freelancing fits into those goals. Is freelancing the only way to achieve them?

“If freelancing is the only path that aligns with your goals, that’s a strong sign to explore it,” Melissa believes. “At the end of my life, I’ll be glad I was able to provide for my family, spend so much time with my kids, and travel the world with them. Freelancing is the only way I can do all of that while building a career.”

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Excited for what’s next

Melissa is always finding new ways to grow OMG Code while living her best life. Though building a business can be challenging at times, she remains steadfast. Her freelancing journey has gifted her with powerful lessons that have become an ethos fueling every aspect of her life: “Follow your dreams, don’t give up, and believe in yourself!”

If you have a web or mobile development project, visit Melissa Hong’s profile to learn how she can help.

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