Making it in New York City often takes persistence, creativity and a bit of luck. For Ashley Alicea, all three have played a role in reshaping her finances and career. As reported by CNBC, the 33 year old, who grew up in the city before returning in 2020, has gone from earning about $50,000 a year as a preschool teacher to making roughly $90,000 annually at a charter school. She now also earns $55 an hour through a side hustle in mental health counselling.
Alicea’s journey reflects the financial pressures many teachers face. CNBC noted that roughly 60% of teachers took out student loans for their education, while nearly 40% still carry outstanding balances and pay an average of $342 a month. The report also cited data showing that around 17% of public and private school teachers work a second job during the school year.
When Alicea returned to New York in 2020, she found the reality of surviving in the city on a teacher’s salary harsh. “It was a really rude awakening coming to New York and not being able to live on a teacher salary,” she said. At the time, living alone felt impossible, even though a typical New Yorker living alone or with roommates earns a median of $53,817 a year, according to Census data cited by CNBC.
A career shift with purpose
{{/usCountry}}When Alicea returned to New York in 2020, she found the reality of surviving in the city on a teacher’s salary harsh. “It was a really rude awakening coming to New York and not being able to live on a teacher salary,” she said. At the time, living alone felt impossible, even though a typical New Yorker living alone or with roommates earns a median of $53,817 a year, according to Census data cited by CNBC.
A career shift with purpose
{{/usCountry}}Alicea began teaching in 2016 in Shanghai, where she worked as an English language teacher. She later moved back to the US and eventually joined Brilla Public Charter Schools in the Bronx in 2024. She now works as a multilingual learner specialist with children from multilingual households.
“It’s in a predominantly Hispanic community, so it’s a good opportunity for me to advocate for families and work with them in their native language,” Alicea told CNBC. “Right now I I find a lot of purpose in it, and I feel like I am making a difference in these kids’ lives.”
Alongside teaching, Alicea pursued a Master of Science in education and mental health counselling, graduating in June 2025. A few months later, she started part time work as a therapy associate with online mental health provider Cerebral. She described it as a “side hustle” and even called it a “really expensive” one, given the debt she took on to earn the degree.
A four year debt payoff goal
Alicea took out about $92,000 in loans to cover tuition and living costs during graduate school. She now has around $61,000 left and puts about $1,500 a month towards repayment. “I really just want to get it out of the way so I can really start investing and building my own wealth,” she said.
CNBC reported that Alicea has also managed to keep her rent relatively low after winning the New York City housing lottery twice. She now pays $1,954 a month and urges others to try their luck too. “It’s worth it to leave an apartment for a stabilized apartment that’s more affordable, especially people living with roommates,” she said.