Is this a 'real' job?

[Miss Chicken]

I was reading this article which begins

Jenn McAllister is not your average 18-year-old.

She left home a year ago to pursue her career as a social media celebrity in LA.

But you won’t find McAllister bartending or waiting tables as she waits for her big break.

Nope, McAllister already found a certain kind of fame — and you’ve probably never heard of her.

She’s a YouTube star, with hundreds of thousands of fans, millions of views on her funny “Buzzfeed-y” videos. Her latest, “Kids Back Then vs. Kids Now,” already has nearly half a million views with just a few days of being live on the platform. At just 18, she’s already chastising a younger generation for always being on their phones while hanging out rather than playing games like hide-and-seek. And her fans love her for it, it’s all in good fun.

And I was wondering why, at least in the article, it isn't considered to be a real job. I certainly think that if a person can make living off YouTube they deserve it. There are several people I subscribe to on YouTube (book reviewers, certain atheists, art and crafters etc). I know of YouTubers who only make a few dollars per video, others that make a couple of thousand per video and I believe some make more than a million per year.

So I am asking people do you consider this to be a real job?

Also are there any YouTubers you would recommend?

 

[auntiehill]

If you make real cash, legally, and have to pay real taxes on it, it's a real job. More power to her.

 

[Pondwater]

I had no idea that there was money in YouTubing.

 

[Kemaiku]

PewDiePie was a BigThing(TM) on there this year, making an alleged 6 figure salary for doing Let's Plays of games he was given access to early for that reason.

Now, he put in a lot of hours, is given the game demos and copies by companies who pay him to do it. He plans, records, edits and posts the content largely alone. So he is being paid and has sponsorship, it's more like working from home in his case.

But someone who just posts youtube videos all day and does not make a salary, can't really be considered a job.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

I do hope she has some sort of backup plan, since internet celebrity can be fleeting, but if she's able to make a living off of it now and provide for herself, then I don't see any reason to judge her career choice as being lesser than any other.

Given the insane cost of attending university in the US these days which leaves you with debilitating debt and no guarantee of employment worthy of the level of your education or in your chosen field, if you can make your way without it, more power to you (and she may very well choose to attend college using her YouTube funds to help offset the cost slightly). Which is not to say you don't have better opportunities with a degree than without; of course you do. But the crippling debt involved and the numerous barriers and unrealistic expectations employers often demand don't always make it as attractive an option as it used to be.

Anyway, good for her and I hope she enjoys it while it lasts and that it lasts as long as possible.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I had no idea that there was money in YouTubing.

Quite a bit, in fact!

Granted, it's not something everyone can do--you need to be making something people want, and will watch in large enough numbers for the ad revenue to give you a good income.

Some also use it as a springboard to music careers. Justin Bieber is probably the most famous example. *shudder*

I'm not sure how one could say it's not a "real" job if it's paying the bills, you know?

 

[Amaris]

Yeah, there's money in it, if she can play her cards right, as per Chemy's example of PewDiePie above.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I am waiting for the day you can make money posting shit on forums.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Nothing unreal exists.

 

[Amaris]

I am waiting for the day you can make money posting shit on forums.

Cooleddie would be made of solid gold.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ cooleddie should HOST Solid Gold.

Oh yeah, I went there.

 

[Kemaiku]

Yeah, there's money in it, if she can play her cards right, as per Chemy's example of PewDiePie above.

It's a big "if" though, that's the problem. PDP really draws in a crowd, and his videos are fun to watch, getting some amazing viewing figures per video because of his unique personality and general craziness.

If someone can get the right equip, know how to use it, put on a good show then someone, somewhere might fund it. Or open up paypal to help generate more videos and help improve the production values a little.

But she better have a good pitch, something that will keep a good audience over time. That's going to be tough, but there are a lot of quality channels on youtube with productions as good or better than professionally made TV, with one person generating the content.

 

[Amaris]

Indeed there are. I know there are a number of MLP reviewers who actually make money doing what they do, through a system called Patreon, which allows people to support content creators. A few of them do surprisingly well.

 

[Pondwater]

I am waiting for the day you can make money posting shit on forums.

A nickel per post.

 

[sidious618]

If she's earning money and not harming others then it's a hell of a lot more of a "real" job than many others.

 

[SeerSGB]

If it's legal and you're getting paid for it, it's a job--at leas the IRS thinks so

 

[Taylirious]

Passion + Creative Talent = Endless Possibilities. Most people lack one or both of these. If you have the passion and are willing to put yourself out there and have fun then why not?

auntiehill If you make real cash, legally, and have to pay real taxes on it, it's a real job. More power to her.

Pretty much.

 

[Miss Chicken]

When Matt Dillahunty of The Atheist Experience (community TV show) lost his regular job a few months ago he had trouble finding a new job because of his outspoken atheism. So he decided to try and make money out videos. he is lucky that he already had a strong following and it only took about a month to reach over $2000 per video on Patreon. This is separate from any money he makes via YouTube for these videos.

Steve Shives, a lesser we'll known atheist, makes about $1000 a month via YouTube and $600 a month via Patreon and his income is increasing each month.

 

[SeerSGB]

I am waiting for the day you can make money posting shit on forums.

You already can get paid to do that. Look into a site called Postloop and another one called TextBroker.

Just doing clickwork/microtasks, I'm clearing $20 to $80 a week sitting in front of the computer doing Google searches and sorting products for online catalogs.

 

[scotpens]

. . . Also are there any YouTubers you would recommend?

Don't know if she's your cup of tea, but I adore Natalie Tran.

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du5fNU6uvwc[/yt]

She reportedly earns upwards of US$100,000 a year from her YouTube videos. That's a lotta lettuce.