Why so many younger people aspire to be content creators
By Meg Dowell
If you ask a younger person what they want to be "when they grow up," now more than ever, their answer might be content creator. It turns out many adults would rather be content creators too.
Maybe this wasn't the case when you were younger. And maybe that's because it wasn't as accessible of an option for you or those around you then. That was definitely the case with me. When I started making YouTube videos in 2007, no one was making a living doing that. It wasn't possible.
Now that it is possible -- as long as you have the income streams necessary to support the instability of content creation -- the simple fact is that more people want to make it a reality for themselves. And it's not because they're lazy, or don't want to work, or just want to sit on TikTok all day every day.
What many who are less familiar with the content creation space often don't realize is that content creation -- even if it doesn't become a viable career path for someone -- can be an extremely valuable skills training tool for a number of career paths.
Content creation requires the ability to analyze data and make active decisions based on audience behavior (marketing). It demands a vast understanding of different apps and platforms, how people interact with them, and how to grab the attention of an algorithm (social media management).
Many forms of content creation also require PR skills, writing, interviewing, graphic design, various kinds of editing, and more. Knowing how to use certain technologies, such as video editing software or audio engineering, can in themselves become careers -- either on a freelance basis or full-time for a small or larger company.
In general, people like content creation because many people like to make content. Even though it's work, it's often enjoyable. It also often involves skills people have developed over time from engaging in content creation passively or as a hobby. And who doesn't want to use skills they already have to make money?
Content creation may not be easy. But for many, it's a promising path forward, even if content creation itself isn't the sole career they'll end up in.