write (one's) (own) ticket
To have the means, ability, or empowerment to decide one's own terms or course of action. Students who specialize in computer programming have been able to write their tickets in the economy for the last several years, as demand has continued to outpace supply for skilled employees in this field. The movie star began writing her own tickets after she exploded in popularity in the early 2000s.
write (one's) own ticket
To set one's own terms or course of action entirely according to one's own needs or wishes: an open-ended and generous scholarship that lets recipients write their own ticket.