I Made $10,000 Last Month and 2025 Has Been the Worst Year of My Life.

Before I start this I want to say this is not me bragging about making $10,000 in a month. To be honest it was $10,478.71. This article is simply a reflection of my thoughts as a 24-year-old learning that money doesn’t buy happiness.

About Me

For those who don’t usually read my work here (I get it—my usual content revolves around reality TV), my name is Dylan Deckard, and I’m 24 years old. This is a more personal essay. I currently live in Charleston, South Carolina and have since 2021. I am from New Jersey and moved down here to get out of the cold. It was a spur of the moment decision after house-sitting for my sister in Georgia. Those are kind of decisions I tend to make.

I earned my Bachelor's degree in Communications from The Ohio State University in December 2024. I know I graduated a bit later than expected, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted a lot, and I also took a few gap years along the way.

In June 2025, just six months after graduating, I earned $10,478.71 without a typical 9-5.

Thought Process

I knew since I was young that I never wanted a typical 9-5 cubicle job. I've always thought that you have one life why be miserable working at a computer all day. I'd rather be living on the street learning about life and bouncing from city to city than doing that. I know some people will try to cancel me for that but go ahead, I've been cancelled before anyway.

But recently a 9-5 cubicle job doesn't seem too bad...

What Do I Do?

I currently have a total of 10 income streams—some are thriving, while others leave me wondering why I’m still doing them. I host a podcast where I interview reality TV stars, run two blogs (one on Medium and one here on Vocal), and privately train kids in basketball. I also manage a TikTok account with around 25,000 followers. Recently, I worked for a non-profit organization, but I left after realizing that leadership was more focused on boosting their own salaries than making a real impact. These are just a few of the ways I make money, each with its own set of challenges and rewards.

I am not going to go into how much each make and everything like that because this is not a financial article, this is an article about happiness and life.

2025...

I have lived through 2020 and the Covid-19 Pandemic, I have lived in 2021 as we rebuilt after it. I lived in the fall of 2019 and whatever the hell that was for me personally. 2025 has been the worst year of my life and it's not even close. I started 2025 with such high hopes but then again I feel like everyone starts the new year with high hopes.

There are some things I legally can’t get into, but what I will say is that this year has been a journey of truly discovering who I am. I know I’m not a bad person—but I’ve come to see that there are some bad people in South Carolina. There’s this idea of “Southern Hospitality,” and people love to say how nice everyone is in the South. With all due respect—that’s complete BS. What I’ve experienced is that many people here are two-faced and fake. They keep things in to not hurt ones' feelings but will say it to everyone behind your back.

This isn’t about one individual—it’s about a larger societal structure and culture. I grew up in New Jersey, where people may come off as rude, but at least they’re honest. You always know where you stand. There’s no sugarcoating, no fake smiles—just straight-up facts. And when someone’s with you, they’re really with you. People in Jersey are “ride or die.”

I once saw a tweet that said: “Someone in the Northeast will shovel your car out of the snow and not say a word. Someone in the South or on the West Coast will walk by, tell you how sorry they feel for you, and keep it moving.” If that’s not the truth, I don’t know what is.

I say all this because there are people in Charleston who genuinely tried to ruin my life—and they almost succeeded. I was this close to walking away from it all and saying, “Forget Charleston.” I had people that I truly called a friend that backstabbed me and I haven't talked to since April. I had commitments that kept me here until May 30th, but after that, I was ready to head straight to Los Angeles.

On the flip side, there have been people in Charleston who have genuinely had my back—people who don’t follow those typical Southern societal standards. I’m incredibly grateful for them, because on some of my darkest days in South Carolina, they showed up for me in ways I’ll never forget. And trust me, I’ve had some dark days—just scroll through my TikTok reposts and you’ll see. For a long time, I believed no one really cared about anyone else and that we were all just out here living for ourselves. But I’ve been proven wrong. I’m not talking about people who just send a quick “I’m so sorry” message. I mean people who actually check in, who write words of real support, and who show up consistently. I’ve found chosen family here. People I can truly count on. I have people that stuck by me even though it didn't impact them. I have younger brothers—not by blood, but in every other way. Them knowing that I will always be there if they need it so much so that I get a phone call from almost every single day just to talk about whatever is going on in their lives. I never had that role model in NJ especially since educators prioritized education/curriculum #1 not life.

But on June 1st, something shifted. I decided to look at Charleston—and my life—a little differently. I had to do something similar at the start of 2022, but that’s a story for another day.

Money

I’ve always been money-driven—and I know that can sound like a red flag. I come from two very successful parents, and from a young age, I was taught to make as much money as possible so I wouldn’t have to struggle. That mindset stuck with me. I pay my own bills, my own rent, and if I want something, I buy it for myself.

In 2025, I started a business—and it’s hands down the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve invested between $60,000 and $70,000 of my own money into it. I now own a summer camp in Charleston, South Carolina. But this article isn’t about that. I’m only mentioning it to make it clear: I’ve spent a significant amount of my own money this year.

And just so you know—I don’t pay myself from the summer camp. None of the income I’m talking about here comes from that business.

Money Doesn't Buy Happiness

I had set a goal to make $10,000—and when I finally hit it, I felt... nothing. Money doesn’t buy happiness. It can buy opportunities for happiness, sure—but that means nothing if you’re too mentally or emotionally drained to take advantage of them.

I live in an area where I’m fairly well known. I know that might sound cocky, but it’s just the reality. A few weeks ago, I was deep in my feelings—listening to Adele, of course—thinking about how heavy this year has been. I was sitting at a red light, lost in thought, when I noticed the car behind me was following closely. At the next light, I glanced back—and saw a child in the backseat waving at me. It was a kid from the non-profit I used to work with, smiling and telling me how much they missed me.

In that moment, I had to snap out of whatever spiral I was in. I had to shift my mindset instantly and show up—because even when I feel empty, someone out there still sees me as someone who matters. I have had other experiences like this in grocery stores, restaurants and more.

What I Have Learned

I leaved learned many things this year but the number one thing is that in this society you need money to live but you don't need money to succeed. I like to think of myself as a good person. Don't get me wrong I used to pop off at the mouth when I lived in Jersey but overall I'm a good person. I hate when bad things happen to good people, but it's the good people that can turn bad things good. My whole perspective on life has changed this year. I don’t have the same interests I had in 2024. I don’t even have the same morals I had in 2024. I’ll always work my ass off to make as much money as I can—but I’m starting to realize that my happiness can’t depend on that.

Even as I write this, part of me is thinking, “Damn, I didn’t make enough money this week.” That mindset is still there—but I’m working on it. I’m learning. And growth doesn’t always look like a clean break from the past; sometimes it’s a slow shift, moment by moment.

What's Next

I don't have any idea what's next. I might try and continue my business in 2025 which I would love but it would have to adapt since summer camps can't run during the school year. I am saying goodbye to toxic and hateful people. It really sucks that those people are in charge of non-profits and children but that's just the society we live in. I am saying goodbye to pathological liars. I could ruin people's lives with one or two messages but why put someone on blast to hundreds of thousands of people and get into a lawsuit.

I know I need to travel—just to get out of South Carolina for a while. A few years ago, I took a trip to Los Angeles with my best friend, and it was a breath of fresh air. I still think about waking up and going to the beach in Malibu, like in the photo at the beginning of this article. Trips like that probably won’t happen again anytime soon—she just had a baby, and I’m so happy for her! But that doesn’t mean I can’t travel solo.

At the end of the summer, I’ll be heading to Seattle by myself, just to reset and breathe again. The beauty of what I do is that I can make money from my laptop—and that’s exactly what I plan to do while I’m there. I’ll eventually return to Charleston, but after living here for four years, it feels like it’s been twenty. I’m a very independent person—I moved out at 17 and went to Tennessee on my own. But maybe it’s time to move that independence somewhere new.

I might stay in Charleston and continue running my business—which would be amazing—or I might pack up and grow roots elsewhere. I’m also starting to feel like it’s time to open myself up to a relationship again. I haven’t had a girlfriend in a while, partly because my last two serious relationships ended with them battling addiction. I won’t lie—it made me question myself, like maybe I was the problem.

But in the end, I’m choosing to stand back up—because no one else is going to do it for me.

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Dylan Deckard is small business owner, podcast host, content creator and more. He currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina and can be found on any of these links below...

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