Thinking about starting a side hustle? Here's how one Gen Zer balances his coursework with being a content creator

When Dylan Huey was getting bullied in middle school, he turned to social media to connect with people. Posting lip-sync videos on Musical.ly felt like a natural entryway into the creator space for Huey, who is a musician.

“In the first week of joining Musical.ly, I gained 30,000 followers,” Huey said. “People saw my authenticity and were able to relate to me. I was speaking about topics that weren't typically discussed on social media at that time, which were mental health, bullying and advocating for yourself.”

Since then, the now 20-year-old University of Southern California student has been able to go on tour, partner with Warner Music Group, write a book, launch three companies of his own and more.

“A lot of these things I don't think without having a following I'd be able to get,” he said.?

Although posting short-form content is how Huey got his start, he’s no longer focused on maintaining an audience on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

“I look for fun, small projects that I can build,” he said. “I look for ways that I can be considered beyond a content creator, beyond an influencer but as more of a creative.”

Huey is accomplishing his goal through his entrepreneurial efforts and his many extracurricular involvements at USC. How does he balance it all as a full-time college student? Huey shared an inside look:

How do you structure your schedule with classes?

Most of my classes are on Monday and Wednesdays, and I have one class Thursday night from 6-8 p.m. Stacking classes on Monday and Wednesdays has allowed me to give more time to meetings and to pack my schedule with back-to-back events. I try to figure out what the optimal times for my classes are. I'm not taking the stereotypical 16 units because I'm able to graduate a year early, and I'd rather stick to my normal graduation time and use all the resources that USC provides while taking less classes. That has allowed me to dedicate more time to the other things that I love where now, being a student doesn't define who I am.

How has being a content creator helped you jumpstart your career??

I think that social media has really helped me gain confidence and structure in my life to know that I can become successful in different avenues. Like I said, I was getting bullied in middle school, so it [social media] has really helped shape my character and helped build my perseverance and my tenacity. It has shown me that if you work hard and you're dedicated to something, you can accomplish it.

What challenges have you as a full-time creator and college student?

The biggest thing is that I don't have the most amount of time. A lot of these influencers that I'm friends with are going on different trips, spontaneously, for content. Obviously, I can travel to an extent, but because my parents are paying for my school, I have prided myself in not missing a single class. With that being said, my content is very limited. I can't go to different places during a school day or take a road trip to New York to go to meetings. Los Angeles is kind of the heart of everything in entertainment, so there's not too much that I'm missing, just different changes of scenery for content.

What’s your advice for students who want to break into the creator space??

Running a student organization that's focused on content creation and influencers, the biggest thing that I've told people who have applied and have been denied ... is that you need to show me that you're passionate about social media. If you haven't taken a jump into doing social media, it's so easy to start. Get a camera. Get a friend. Start making small, short-form TikToks or Instagram posts and start turning your feed into more of a creative outlet. With that being said, my biggest advice would be for people to take a leap of faith. You're in college. You're not investing all of your time into social media. It's not high stakes. You can mess up. You can decide that you don't want to do social media in the future.

Editor’s note: Some quotes were edited for length and clarity.

?? Always be a student

If you decide to “take a leap of faith,” as Huey says, and begin your content creation journey, it’s a good idea to learn how to create a fun and engaging video. This LinkedIn Learning course takes you through the steps, from pre-production to post-production. You can watch it below or by clicking here.

?? College corner

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?? 9-to-5 with me

Discovering what you don’t like to do is just as important as learning what you like to do, especially when you’re early in your career. One way to do this? Through trial and error, says Meagan Loyst, who is the founder of Gen Z VCs. Check out Loyst’s day-in-the life video below for more advice:

What does a typical day look like for you? Share your video using #9to5withme.