Student athletes possess qualities that suit content creation. In fact, the transition from performing under bright lights to performing for a phone screen often feels natural. But that journey is far from easy. That is simply because every year, a new wave of current and former students fills the social media space. They bring the same discipline and persistence that helped those before them succeed. However, those who rise above the rest often look a lot like Carson Roney.

The 28-year-old social media sensation shared a glimpse of her journey from athlete to content creator in an EssentiallySports Exclusive. Roney can clearly pinpoint the moment she realized that content creation could truly become her dream career.

“One I can think of is, I got a teaching degree. I have my education degree in early childhood education, and, as we all know, teachers really don’t make that much money,” Carson Roney shared. “But I will say, when I got a brand deal that was like a yearly teacher salary, I was like, ‘Wow. This is crazy.'”

She added that she had the teaching degree because it was her passion at the time. However, looking back, Roney understands that she never truly wanted to pursue it. “I didn’t really want to be a teacher. I know I can tell the teachers that I had in the past had a passion for it. So, I was like, ‘If I don’t have the passion for it, I don’t want to be a teacher and not give it my all,'” Carson added.

“I think realizing that I could make my yearly salary as a teacher doing one brand deal was very eye-opening. It was just crazy. I was like, ‘Wow, this is real, and I can grind this out and take this so much further,'” the social media sensation doubled down.

Carson Roney first shared basketball and fashion posts on Instagram in 2018, but her world shifted in 2020 while balancing college basketball and volleyball with dance videos on TikTok. One clip featuring creative ways to style shorts went viral; since then, the momentum has never slowed. Six years later, she commands 5 million TikTok followers and nearly 675,000 on Instagram. Along the way, Roney turned that attention into partnerships with the NBA, Gatorade, and Abercrombie.

The exact details of the 28-year-old’s income are not publicly available. However, per social media trends, her estimated yearly earnings are between $200,000-$400,000. With an engagement rate above 10% across various social media platforms, Roney sits among the stronger earners in the sports and lifestyle space. According to DigiDay’s report, Carson earned $45,000 for a single branded TikTok earlier this year.

Now, this brings us to Carson Roney’s “I got a brand deal that was like a yearly teacher salary,” statement during her exclusive interaction with EssentiallySports. A branded TikTok alone put $45,000 in Roney’s pocket this year. However, the average salary for an Early Childhood Education teacher in the United States ranges between $35,000 and $54,000 annually.

So, Roney went through all the struggles before becoming a star on the internet. In particular, her transition from student-athlete to content creator was never going to be easy. And to be honest, it never was.

“In the beginning, I would say it was pretty hard because I also had a full-time slash part-time job,” Roney said. “My school was completely paid for by my basketball scholarship, but my rent, food, and everything outside of that was not paid for.” Carson had to adapt to a hectic schedule because of the expenses her scholarship didn’t cover. During her two seasons at Shawnee State University, an NAIA school in Portsmouth, Roney balanced college basketball and volleyball while also working a full-time job.

“I had a full schedule,” she added. Roney’s days were packed with nonstop responsibilities. She constantly moved between basketball practice, extra workouts, classes, and shifts at her job, often ending the day by closing at work. It simply shows how demanding her schedule was while balancing sports, school, and earning money. And let’s not forget content creation.

She further stated, “It was definitely hard in the beginning because I had so much fun creating content, but I was not making money at the time,” Roney shared. “So, I was like, ‘My following is growing, but I’m not making money. Let me just kind of keep pushing it and see where it goes.'”

However, once her content began going viral and she began earning money, she quit her waitressing job. After that, content creation became a full-time profession for Carson. “I made sure to schedule filming times in between practice,” she shared. “I made sure to schedule my content so it could post. If I had practice or something, I could make sure I still posted every single day.”

Carson Roney’s advice for better contracts

During her conversation with EssentiallySports, she further shared tips to bag bigger deals and contracts as a content creator. “It’s very important to stay consistent posting and be, I guess, as out there as you can on social media. I know this from experience, just talking to my management and agents. When looking for NIL deals and athletes to promote a company or a brand, they do want you to have a following.”

Sure, attending a major school helps. But a larger social media audience makes athletes more visible to brands. It increases their chances of landing sponsorships, partnerships, and higher-paying opportunities.

“I think the more you post and the more you try to grow your following is really big right now because brands are looking for people that can push their content,” the 28-year-old added. “They’re going to grab the person that has more of a following than someone that doesn’t have a following.”

So, the journey to the top was never easy for Carson Roney. School, job, and sports occupied her entire schedule. Yet, she found time to pursue her passion, and that pursuit finally paid off.