Zach Snyder: Freelance Video Editor & Content Creator, Your Everyday Nerd: “Every Day I Get to Wake Up and Create”

Zach Snyder is a college drop-out who started freelance video editing for creators, entrepreneurs, and businesses in 2018. He’s worked on various online content platforms in industries ranging from entrepreneurship to gaming, to health & wellness and cooking.

Zach is also a content creator who’s been on YouTube since 2011. Today, he runs a nerd culture comedy review show called “Your Everyday Nerd.” He also streams on Twitch and runs a podcast called “Another YouTube Podcast,” where he and his friend Aden give YouTube advice based on personal experiences.

Fun fact: Zach currently ranks #2 for “skip the degree” on Google with his must-read article on Medium: Go to College, Skip the Degree.

Zach’s Original Story: “Every Day I Get to Wake Up and Create”

I grew up in a poverty-stricken household. My father has health problems, so my mother works to pay the bills. I’m also the oldest of six kids, so I grew up with a lot of responsibility from a very young age.

My upbringing has definitely affected my career choices. I thought I would need to go to college and get a degree to get a job, but instead, I’ve learned that there are so many more ways to make it, as long as you have the desire and willpower to push on through the hard times.

I’ve always been interested in a lot of different things, so while I’m only 24, my career path has been all over the place.

I loved drawing as a kid. I’ve always enjoyed writing. I started playing the trumpet in 6th grade and for a long time, I thought I would become a music teacher. It wasn’t until I started creating YouTube content in 2011 that I realized I could combine these passions and skills into video content.

Scripting, graphic design, editing, entertainment, audio engineering – all of these are just a small portion of the things required to make a great video.

Every day, I find a new interest. It doesn’t bother me, though, because I can always bring it into my content.

I feel like I’ve always had some kind of entrepreneurial spirit. I sold Pokémon cards and candy in elementary school. I wanted to start a music business in middle school. I worked a web development job in college for a year. So, I’ve always had something going on related to creating, but it wasn’t until 2018 that I started making “real money.”

I decided I didn’t need my college degree when I started the second semester of my junior year in college.

I had started college with the purpose of getting a Music Education degree. I ended up loving the freedom that college offered, so I took a ton of additional classes to satiate my interests.

Eventually, this caused me to have so much going on, I wouldn’t be able to finish my degree program on time. I made the decision to continue college until the end of my senior year – without graduating.

Though I continued going to school, I barely went to classes, and instead spent most of my time finding as many freelance gigs as I could. Since then, I’ve been able to maintain a fairly stable income through video editing gigs.

Honestly, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. Instead of worrying about exams or deadlines, I started freelancing, I spent time with my friends, and I cultivated new experiences. College is such a unique opportunity, I think if you have the means to go without debt, then you should do it. Not for the degree, but for the experiences. In fact, skip the degree!

By far, my biggest challenge with entrepreneurship has been the finances. Coming from a low-income household, I didn’t have a safety net at all. In fact, I still have a low income AND I still help my family out when I can, so it’s still a challenge.

With that said, I think the benefits far outweigh these challenges. It may be difficult, but I don’t have to go to a job every day. I get to wake up and create. Plus, the more I do this, the more opportunities come. I’m already seeing an increase in opportunities in 2021 and the year just started.

My takeaways for budding entrepreneurs: Make the most out of your journey. Everybody’s experience with college, careers, entrepreneurship – it’s all different. We all have to figure out our own unique way to push through the hardships and enjoy the successes. No matter what you do, as long as you put the most into it, I truly believe you’ll find the outcome you desire.

Find more from Zach Snyder on his YouTube channel, Your Everyday Nerd.