Is Content Creator a Real Job? 

This video should be part of middle school and high school curriculum. It's important for people to understand the reality of becoming internet famous or a RU-vid Superstar who gets to buy Lamborghinis etc.

It’s the old saying “the people who make money in a gold rush are those selling shovels”

As a "hobby level" RU-vidr, I can say everything in this video is very accurate. There is definitely a path to make big bucks on social media, but most who "make it" work really really hard to get there. Very difficult to do as a side hustle.

This was a really informative and worthwhile video, even for someone who has no interest in becoming a content creator.

Content creation being compared to the gold rush is perfect. It's not something people should be relying on for any kind of stable income; don't look at the highest earners/most popular creators and assume that can someday be you.

I also wonder the longevity of even the successful creators. Even if they don't burn out, is this a career that can last you 10-15 years while making enough while saving for retirement?

Great video, love all your work! As an educational creator with over 100K subscribers, I would add one more non-financial benefit: the benefit of helping people learn something (that I am sure you, as educational creators yourselves, share). When I created my channel, it was because there wasn't good content online educating people about philosophy, not because I ever thought I could make money doing it. It is still strange to me that RU-vid wants to pay me for just doing something I love, and that mentality (treating it as a hobby, not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good) helps me not feel burnt out too often.

Gee, it's almost like being a RU-vidr should be taken as a hobby, not a profession. Also, the censored pig on Onlyfans 😂😂😂

Omg I actually felt so bad at the start for skipping the ad 😭😭

This entire video was spot on. I spent 4 years on RU-vid and Twitch trying to make it (didn't quit my job, don't worry) clawing my way to 2000 subs on YT and barely above 500 followers on Twitch. Needless to say I didn't make enough to even call the income I generated lunch money. I learned a lot about making content and gained a fair few skills I use in my career. Content creation is no picnic and it's not the dream job people make it out to be in their heads. It's easy to get sucked in by the content creator gurus, the tool developers and the platforms themselves but trust me when I say it's rough trying to even turn it into a side hussle. Don't get me wrong. Making content can be a fun endeavor but the emotional toll it takes is quite high. Unless you know for a fact that you'll never get enamored by the attention and purely do it for fun - which, by the way, is a very human thing to fail at - you'll quickly feel like a worthless piece of poop every time your video barely gets a couple of views or your post barely catches any attention. One thing I feel you got wrong was citing talent as a factor for success. Talent is a misleading term to use as it implies to most people that you need to be born with certain skills and affinities. For sure, we are attracted to particular facial and physical characteristics which are part of our genetics. However, you can become an expert at pretty much every skill if you spend the grueling amount of time required. To that effect, if you already have a skill you're good at and can identify an under-represented market within the platforms you can fill with your skill, then you may have a decent chance at a side-hustle.

This is exactly why I'm not a content creator. It's just not for me even though I love that you guys do it. Also after 3.5 years unemployed I FINALLY got a job! Thanks to your videos I know just what to do with my finance salary too!

this was amazing to watch as always but as a creator it’s even better. i’ve been trying to do this for 14 years and only in the past 8 months has it taken off. and it’s only taken off on 1 or 2 platforms. i have a full time job and this is like 2 jobs sometimes. i worked in social media for 5 years and saw the burnout in real time and the toll it takes. my content is really geared towards not being burnt out. i make sure to put my irl people first as much as i can but it takes a toll when things don’t succeed. any way, amazing video and channel as always!

Nice to see you two again. Creating content is a lot of work, it's still just a side hustle for me and I enjoy doing it. I average around $200 a month, nothing to live on but it's nice to have that extra cash coming in.

One of the main reasons I left Instagram was because I was obsessed with likes and follows. It didn't even pan out the way I wanted either. I became disgusted with myself - that I would tie my identity to that. So after a long hiatus from Instagram I nuked my profiles forever.

Need to make this a required video for aspiring creators to make informed decisions.

I realized that the secret to making a million is saving for a better investment. I always tell myself you don't need that new Maserati or that vacation just yet. That mindset helped me make more money investing. For example last year I invested 80k in stocks (with the help of my Financial Advisor of course) and made about 246k, but guess what? I put it all back and traded with her again and now I'm rounding up close to a million.

Next video: "Are 'Instragram Influencer' or 'Life Coach' real jobs?" Short answer: No

Oh, My Friends, you nailed it. I am a full time youtube creator and fall into that "successful" category and yet still barely make enough to justify the time. So, so very good.

How you guys don't have millions of subscribers is beyond me. The content is always great and informative.

Amazing video! Definitely a dose of realism! Also just remember that being part of that 5% isn’t as hard as it sounds because most videos and creators really don’t have their act together or take content creation seriously. Do a thing for a few years with decent video and sound with relevant topics and you’ll be fine. Be intentional when you stream/post youtube videos. I made like 1k last years from only a few months of streaming on twitch. Key is make content 1-3x a week put yourself out there and be consistent and constantly look for ways to make stuff better. The issue is that being that consistent means a lot of stability in life most people don’t have. I had health issues late last year and had to stop. Hoping to get started again though. I have a few friends that earn over 50% of their income from content creation. It allows them to do gig economy work and earn money in other ways (investments, gigs, etc). Many of my streamer friends are musicians though and most have some sort of team (mods) helping them.

For US citizens you are definitely right, but for someone in the poorest of the developed countries or most of the developing countries, let alone other parts of the world, playing his guitar and getting $2000 per month is a dream that would put them well above the average income of their country....

Anyone can make it as a content creator if you have the knowledge on how to make good content. For example if mrbeast had no money right now and you took all his subs away but still had the knowledge he had now, he would be able to build a successful channel with millions of subs within a year.

A bit late to the party, but one thing I recommend is starting cheap with RU-vid. If you check almost any popular RU-vidr, you can see extremely low budget videos early on. Just work with equipment you have and as your channel grows, you can upgrade. You will have less pressure to get views (you most likely will not for a while) and because the videos are not as fancy, you will spend less time with each video and avoid burnout. Fantastic video as always (I'm binging them) and I learned a ton.

I miss the mustache...

I've seen a big trend toward my favorite creators taking months to make several hour videos...and it seems to be working. Those videos churn out literally millions of views when some of their shorter work was less than 20 minutes with not nearly the views that the feature length one does. Content creation as a way to attract and develop community for a business is also another way to engage the power of the medium.

It is a job. Does it add value to the marketplace? is the real question.

What a great analogy. There's a lot of tools, softwares, and services you need to buy in order just to make 1 content decent. And then there's also issue where creators are chasing algorithms until they burnout and lost their personality.

this is the best 2 Cents video I've ever seen. Very real and very to the point. I'm going full-time this year and this prompted me to lock in on tracking my revenue even more closely.

The financial bros of RU-vid im curious about their legitimacy though..they will make videos titles with claims such as " how i make $4,000 a week on RU-vid"

How come News doesn't mention the war in Ethiopia or between other countries why is it Russia and Ukraine we care so much about.

Sure, I am a content creator but, I never quit my day job. If anything this has helped me perfect my own personal life skills like time management and public speaking. There are only a few that manage to make this concept a true career.

talk about your tattoos

This is something I have been wondering about. I have observed that those with specialist skills like health professionals and lawyers do very well on social media. Its been good for a few breakout stars but the majority of people who do well on social media already had the training and life skills for financial stability anyway.

I always felt like those “how to be a RU-vidr” RU-vid channels were a bit of a pyramid scheme. It’s a fun side hustle, but the stress of every decision I make online determining my income for the month would be unbearable.

Thank you for sharing this video and the harsh reality of being a RU-vidr! I am a new creator on RU-vid and finding out quickly how challenging this can be. Some people definitely have it easier getting noticed while the rest of us are busting our bottoms for numbers. I have a full time job and RU-vid is just a part time gig, but I would love to be able to make it full time. It’s not easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is! Keep up the great work Two Cents and keep on pushing forward RU-vidrs!

If only commenters were paid too :'(

Love this! I never realized that corporations and schools that encourage the creation of influencers had such a shady motive. Yeesh.

I have been on RU-vid for 12 yrs, I don't make any money, I just have fun sharing videos. I have never gotten money directly from youtube, a few times I got a referral, but that maybe was enough for me to pay for a dinner.

I’d say it’s more of a lifestyle and another stream of income. And yes, Julia, I did hit that skip ad button, what are you going to do about it????? 🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪

Being a solid content creator requires diversification and being a savvy businessperson. It is very difficult to launch to success on one platform alone.

Thank you so much!!! No1 talks about this on youtube and you only hear stories from the people that made it. Thank you fur running the numbers.

As a creator with over 20,000 subs I still only make enough to put a dent in bills at best. I'm not complaining though - it's a blessing to make any money on this platform, but yeah people are under the misconception that it would be an easy living. That's not the case here - still have to work a 'proper' job too.

Gotta be honest, thumbnails were more clickable when Philip still had the mustache 🙉

Great catch on "totally disrupts business strategy". Look what happened with youtube in Russia - one click of the button in google HQ - and ALL of youtubers there were left without and income immediately.

Is content creator a job??? Yes, if you make it as your own sole income... It definitely would be an agonizing and excruciating job. Because all you care is social media algorithm and how you gain from it... You would be constantly anxious with the changing platform's algorithm, decreasing views/likes/subscriptions etc.

Yes, this is the video topic I really wanted to know about, especially in a time when anyone can become an online celebrity

I used to want to be a full time creator as my future. But as I grew up I have bin realizing how hard that life would be. So now I just post videos for fun

Guess i need to open a onlyfans

I did not skip the add before this video, but the two ads, plus the add in the middle of the video plus the one at the end. I have no problem with ads, but on RU-vid there are just too many of them. So many that if you don't block them, the site becomes unusable. That's why I tend to support channel in different forms...

and being a content creator on a language other than English is even worse I know of guys that make great videos in Portuguese and then they get 10K views

RU-vid for me pays enough for me to help me get by while looking for a job

Really enjoyed this realistic perspective on content creation as a career! I think this is something anyone should watch before considering creating content, even as a side hustle.

Another great video! I love seeing the highs and lows of being a content creator. It's important for people to get the whole picture before jumping in head first.

Haha! I pay for premium - no more ads, before, during the clip.

It takes just one submarine transcontinental internet cable to be blown to put all these “jobs” out of the market

Hot take, it is a real job if you actually treat it seriously and produce consistent and quality material for your niche of viewers. You are essentially an ambassador of your own brand, and it would require you to also be tech-savvy with Adobe software, movie editing software, and marketing. There is a clear difference between those who take it as their primary sharing of knowledge and those who do it as a hobby or to stir up drama.

Yes, as a RU-vidr, I made an insane 46 cents in February!

Reminds me of the smart phone "App" craze, how initial app designers made $$ and the later app designers were literally left out. Which reminds me of the early gold miners in San Francisco gold rush made money and later one were left out. Which reminds me of the... Which reminds me of the... Okay, so I rewind the video 10000x to watch each (stupid) ad, so you can get more ad $$$. (No, I did not, that's a lie. 😁😁)

I've long thought that content creation is the new pyramid scheme. I publish articles on Medium, and I was very happy with the few bucks I've been making a week. But I have fewer than 100 followers, and Medium has moved the goalpost for monetizing content, so until I get 100 subscribers, I'll be writing for the love of it.

RU-vid, like science, is a Publish or Perish environment

Ultra rich people pay to stay off the grid. Fame is overrated

No add played before I started the video :=(

i do some content creation, but i realise that i will never get money from it, and don't plan to do so, i just do it as a hobby.

I think if you're a content creator on RU-vid for the right reasons and driven by purpose, you can go far as a side hustle

Content creation is more aligned to starting a business. It is not a job.

Great video but I still is going to become a internet creator!😁

$2000 dollars in latin america is way above the average wage and more than enough to live comfortably, it's almost the double of what I earned in my 9 to 5 job, still it looks so complicated to succeed as content creator, thanks a lot for all this information and data !!!

Great couple you are guys, always bringing good info.

I thank you so much for the vid. I do aspire to be a content creator but I am not expecting to support myself. I am a laborer and although I like my job, (I'm out in the sun, I can eat whatever and still lose weight, I'm helping to feed America), it's very mentally dull. By the end of my last harvest, I'm so angry and bored, that I tend to pick fights with ppl. It's unhealthy. So, I'm hoping this can be a creative gig at best and a hobby at worst.

Loved that LOTR reference

Really helpful and informative! Please bring back the moustache.

What does this have to do with investing money?...

Is it a real job? if you can get paid for it, it is a job

With cost of transportation going up it will be good for local farmers so I'd suggest investing in chickens

I appreciate this video because I've been thinking about this topic a lot

Sooo helpful! I try to explain this stuff to folks but they always get caught up in the glitz and glamor to think critically of content creator jobs. Thanks for posting.

Twitch streamers hardly ever play games anymore. Now it's popular to just talk about your goals of being a successful content creator. The desire is deep, but the reality for most is they're not going to be able to make it, or if they do it won't be the lifestyle they hoped for.

Thank you for the video, those are some valuable cents. I don't think it's sustainable for most people to be a full-time content creator, but as a side hussle, it can probably offer you some benefits.

This just opened my mind that maybe I should stick the work i have, before really deciding to quit something that's not well for my social anxiety. Keep hustling before doing something I want to do full time.

He finally shaved the ‘stache, kudos!

Great video - looks to be a realistic assessment to anyone interested in going down this route. However, I still think it's important to distinguish between those who are "full-time" vs keeping it a side hustle. If making videos is an enjoyable hobby for someone I think they should continue with it, and to just remember that it doesn't need to take more time than it's ultimately worth.

2,4k$ a month is plenty.

Man, that run the numbers is such a dad joke. I love it.

“Hey, did you just skip the ad” Me with RU-vid premium 😊

No joke 0:08 contains better range and acting than 99% of all Insta/TikTok videos. 😂 Nicely done Julia!

I started my channel as a side project years ago, and then let it sit idle before coming back to it in 2019. I view it as a very difficult hobby with a negative monetary cost rather than a "job". Having finally obtained monetization rights, I reckon that I've made a return of about 25 cents an hour on my hard work. It's an interesting thing to try, and I'm glad to have had the chance to sharpen skills outside of my day job, but it's very risky to try full-time, and the smarter owners of the successful channels all have an exit strategy. It rubs me the wrong way when RU-vidrs have SquareSpace sponsorships, because their ad-read definitely preys on hopeful creatives, encouraging them to sign up for a subscription before they even have a business plan. I personally know someone who's had a website for years through such a service, but their business isn't really even up and running.

I’m straight up going to show this to my students in class next week! Thank you!

Right now, I put my all into being a creator as best I can, but I have a sort of unprivileged privilege: My full-time job is taking care of my grandpa. So there’s a lot of downtime where he’s napping and I can make dumb TikToks and tune up my Twitch setup. This also affords me time to keep grinding and build without becoming homeless from small/no income. But, also fully aware that if I want this to be a career, I’ve got to go from three digit followers to being in the recommended section of any algorithm, and it sometimes can feel impossible to break through (especially insta; I have NO idea how you grow on that app, like…at all).

Off the subject here but Philip looks just like Arran from Thoughty 2! It's Uncanny resemblence.......

Nope! But trying to stay cute definitely is.....!

Thank you for the video I needed that honest assessment of being an influencer. I've heard it all before but never in such a digestible way.

"hard work always pays" nowadays "hard work not worth a shit".

what happened to the mustache?

4:22, I’d like to point out that the median income in the US is about $31k-33k, you guys used the average income in the US which is not the same as the median

I thought about being a content creator myself. However, after taking on a fulltime job and realizing that I'm the sort of person who can't give up her days off unless if it's a paid work emergency, it makes me wonder if ever I'll get the luxury to even travel to New York or Los Angeles to become an actress/model. Plus, I need health insurance so yeeeeaaahhh...I'm going to need a HECK of a lot of help if ever I want to "have my own hours" again. I got bullied by my then-partner for wanting to work like a Chinese person (meaning I wanted at least one day off a week, which he didn't like) back in my freelance writing days...Thanks for making this video, by the way! It was rather informative.

I miss your mustache :(

If you get paid then yes

Bring back the stache

give us back the stache

No it’s not a real job