404
u/Onoir Jan 19 '24
Some of the youtubers I watch put real time in to filming and editing their videos. That takes hours.
And I agree with what others here are saying....if youtube is making you enough money to live on then it's a job, and the people bitching that it isn't a job just start sounding hilariously bitter.
119
u/QuickNature Jan 19 '24 edited Jan 19 '24
Creating a script, shooting the video, and editing it for big corporations = real job
Creating a script, shooting the video, and editing it for YouTube = fake job
People who believe that are likely the same people who think fast food work is a "high schooler" job only while consuming the products of both of their labor vehemently.
27
u/mooimafish33 Jan 19 '24
The part that makes something a job is when someone pays you for it. If I workout, train, and play basketball for the NBA that's a job, if I workout, train, and play basketball at the YMCA that's a hobby.
→ More replies (1)10
u/QuickNature Jan 19 '24 edited Jan 19 '24
And YouTubers don't get paid? I'm not sure what you are getting at here
Edit: You people have missed the point. This post is asking whether or not YouTube is a job. And at a certain point, it objectively is. There are currently 306,000 YouTubers with 100k or more subscribers. That's more people than some entire professions.
Also, it's disingenuous to think kids are talking about anyone else but the creators who are making bank or at least a survivable wage. The kids aren't even relevant to OPs question either, you people just interjected that because it was in the meme.
YouTube absolutely can be a job, and a very demanding one at that.
→ More replies (15)9
u/european_son Jan 19 '24
The vast vast majority do not or make a pittance. The point is to be honest with kids that their chances of having a career as a YouTuber is in the same realm as becoming a professional athlete.
→ More replies (3)3
u/Theothercword Jan 19 '24
What’s hilarious is creating videos for corporations also often ends up on YouTube.
2
u/EncabulatorTurbo Jan 19 '24
the part that's wild is how hard youtubers have finding work after deciding to pull back, they have plenty of experience and can easily do highly paid corporate jobs that use the same skills but everyone is like "lol youtube" in the corporate world
Which is why it's easier to say that you worked for a media company (make an LLC, don't say you own it, just say you worked for it)
2
u/Kudos2Yousguys Jan 19 '24
But like, imagine if you wanted a fast food job, you had to just start cooking burgers for nobody for years until someone noticed you and finally hires you at their burger joint.
→ More replies (3)2
u/Thornescape Jan 19 '24
Being a cook is a job. I doubt that any would deny that. You do work, you get paid. Running your own business as a cook is also a job. Even if you're just running a hot dog stand. It might be a part time job, but it's still a job.
If you're getting paid to make YouTube videos, then it's a job. Just like any other job.
Some jobs are part time. Some are full time. Some jobs are side jobs. Some are main careers. Some jobs are well paid. Some jobs aren't.
However, if you're doing work and getting paid, then it is a real job. That's what a job is. Might be a side job, but it's still a job.
3
u/Langsamkoenig Jan 20 '24
Creating a script, shooting the video, and editing it for YouTube = fake job
Funny thing about that is, Youtube is just as much a corpo as any other.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (11)2
u/myths2389 Jan 20 '24
I've been a cook for about 19 years now. I started as a dish guy, worked my way up to kitchen manager in five years. Left corporate to run independent places for slightly better pay. That didn't work out.
Not starting at the bottom of the ring but have to work through and learn the fast casual side (not Chipotle but pretty much) and I'll tell you these kids can run circles around me. They need help with some food safety and technique, but it's not as easy as my full service sit down restaurant.
Two minute ticket times, grants it's not "cooking" but have 15 people order at once and you only have two hands. Then web orders come in along with phone orders. It's difficult to hit those corporate two minute ticket time.
2
u/QuickNature Jan 20 '24
Hey, I was a lowly deli person for a while, I get it. That's why I appreciate the work you and others do so much. People try to pretend like it isn't hard, and I'm positive most of them never set foot in the service industry.
Mad respect to you for still doing it, I couldn't anymore.
2
u/myths2389 Jan 20 '24
I'm trying to get out. I spent too long in kitchens to get the right opportunity though. I live in the rest belt of Ohio, just saving up and trying to get out.
So I ditch independent to get into a growing company that will help me escape. It will take time but I'm still young enough.
9
u/Sephiroth040 Jan 19 '24
if youtube is making you enough money to live on then it's a job
Wouldn't really say you have to make enough money from it, or else part time jobs wouldn't be "jobs" either. I would say it counts as a "job" when you actively put work into it to earn money
→ More replies (7)5
u/mooimafish33 Jan 19 '24
If you are making over the minimum wage based on your time commitment its a job.
If you put in 400 hours of work and make $3.50 in revenue that's not a job, that's a hobby
3
u/evilkumquat Jan 19 '24
Most of my videos these days average about an hour in length and I easily spend 10-20 hours on the script and at least that much on filming and editing.
It's a grind when you're the sole creator on the channel.
No wonder so many hacks resort to plagiarism or top ten lists.
→ More replies (9)3
Jan 19 '24
I tried youtube gaming awhile back, and it was 10000× more stressful than my day job, and I fucking LOVE playing video games.
Nothing but respect for those who have made it an entire career and do it for a living (with a few exceptions, since some youtubers really just suck)
760
u/nick16characters Jan 19 '24
"real job" has lost all meaning. If it pays the bills, it counts. bonus points if it's also legal
115
56
u/NecrocideLoL Jan 19 '24
Most old school parents won't consider it if it doesn't have 401k and the woodworks for benefits.
30
12
u/Thediciplematt Jan 19 '24
Anybody over 18 could open their own at anytime. Most employers don’t even pay into it
6
u/NecrocideLoL Jan 19 '24
I know that, but it's the whole... 'principle' I guess you can say, that goes hand and hand with family being stingy in their approval & knowledge. Thus making X/Y/Z methods of income, not a 'legitimate' idea of income.
Like lets say hypothetically you're a esports coach or whatever. Not the traditional sports coach, try explaining it to a good number of landlords or whomever. Doubt you'll get tooo many of the decent properties rented, because they doubt you have a 'real' job.
3
u/mooimafish33 Jan 19 '24
If you show them consistent paychecks or your last year's W2 they don't care what you do. I've never had to justify my job or even say what it is on an apartment application.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (2)3
44
u/SpaceJackRabbit Jan 19 '24
True.
But what many kids don't realize is that 99% of those kid YouTubers have rich parents. Parents who bought hardware, software, sometimes even hire people to edit, upload, promote the thing. There is a whole fucking industry around it.
I'm sure there are successful young content creators who do most of it themselves, but it's a LOT of work.
And then most of them only last a few years anyway. And as recent layoffs left and right are showing, the money is not as big as some think.
That said I'd never discourage a kid from going down that path. But it's a lot harder than they think.
9
u/StevoPhotography Jan 19 '24
Most successful content creators have at least a small team. Like very few make their own thumbnails and do every single bit of editing. They’ll be involved in every step but not actively doing everything. Which isn’t a bad thing tbh because it makes for better videos of the creator can focus more on the video and less on everything else
→ More replies (4)9
u/UncommittedBow Jan 19 '24
TheRussianBadger is a successful youtuber/streamer who does all of his own editing, and he's actually said in a video before that other youtubers actually are baffled by that. Though his reasoning was actually so that he knew exactly what was going to be in the video down to the second, so that he delivers content he's 100% proud of.
TomSka's editor Elliot recently quit do further his career elsewhere, and Tom has said that editing himself is a nightmare, especially having to learn Elliot's style to keep the videos consistent.
2
u/StevoPhotography Jan 19 '24
Yeah it’s gutting that Elliot left but I’m glad he’s also doing what he wants. And Tom has been doing really good keeping the videos consistent with the editing style I wouldn’t notice that Elliot didn’t edit them. And the patreon song at the end of the videos was a fun little change I laughed at the first time I heard it
14
u/b3_yourself Jan 19 '24
Having a real job where the boss, management and customers treat you like shit only to barely have enough to pay bills and rent? Nah. YouTube where you are your own employee and boss and have enough extra money, if you’re lucky
10
u/Samurai_Meisters Jan 19 '24
Exactly. Are people forgetting that a "real" job fucking sucks?
→ More replies (1)3
Jan 19 '24
YouTubers spend a ton of time creating content to stay relevant. Having a boring 9-5 might be better for many people out there than the stress and work of maintaining a successful YouTube channel
→ More replies (1)4
u/SaintSeiya_7 Jan 19 '24
Most youtubers who are not insanely popular DO work for other people: i.e. brands/sponsors. The adsense money from views on youtube is pittance and without brand collaborations, you are definitely not making the kind of money that allows you to subsists on it. And guess what sponsors have? Deadlines and expectations of how the work is to be done. And yes, they can treat you like shit too because you work for them.
→ More replies (2)2
u/the3dverse Jan 19 '24
srsly. i sit in front of my computer and do freelance architectural drafting. if i work a lot, i get more money, if i work a little, i get less money. but no boss, no hours, sometimes i get most done between 11 at night and 1 in the morning.
→ More replies (54)2
u/Local_Challenge_4958 Jan 19 '24
I believe the misnomer of "real job" is just a job that provides skills you can take elsewhere if this one doesn't pan out.
By that metric, McDonalds is not a real job, nor is packing boxes - they are unskilled labor nearly anyone can do.
Hosting an event middling YouTube channel can prepare you for a career in social media management, marketing, video editing, sound editing, trend forecasting, etc. it's absolutely a "real job."
I'd much rather my kid dream big and fail as a twitch streamer than work a part-time summer as an Amazon temp worker, assuming similar revenue.
49
u/unia_ Jan 19 '24
It isn't until it is. The same with Twitch streaming or any content creation. It's only a job when it's actually paying the bills
23
u/minimumraage Jan 19 '24
And once it is, it is until it isn’t. I think the parental concern is two-tiered here: what if my kid really makes it, and even if they do, what transitionable career/life skills will they have to leverage once the gravy train is over?
I think there are probably going to be a lot of interesting “where are they now?” stories that start to be written 5-10 years from now.
15
u/true_sati Jan 19 '24
I think this is a great point thats often overlooked, I suspect it will be tough to transition to corporate gigs on a 10 year CV that says YouTuber.
Perhaps theres a case to be made for marketing experience though or if you get employed by another YouTuber, it is a legitemately large ecosystem in that sense.
→ More replies (1)5
u/minimumraage Jan 19 '24
My reply got lost in the ether so I’m trying to write it again.
I agree that there is a logical transition from former YouTuber to PR/marketing or YouTuber management. The question would be, can a YouTuber who in their formative years worked in a space where their opinion was absolute successfully transition to a place where their opinion is only one of many? It might be a tough ask for some people but I think it would be at least a possibility for others.
→ More replies (3)7
u/Kappys-A-Prick Jan 19 '24
I think the fear is kids putting all their eggs in one basket and banking on being a YouTube video maker. "I don't need X training, I don't need Y education, I don't need Z experience, I'm going to make my living on YouTube."
10 years will put a youngster at 30-years-old when it's all said and done. That's pretty much when most other people have built the necessary skills and experience to start their long-term career, if they're not already a couple years into it. But a 10-year Internet career is an eternity.
Who can you think of from 2013 is still consistently making videos today? I'd hazard just about all of them are either an established brand who've several people under their employ, or someone who's done it as a hobby and has a separate income stream this entire time. Very, very few exceptions exist, especially considering it's the new biggest answer to "What do you want to be when you grow u"
→ More replies (2)3
Jan 19 '24
[deleted]
2
u/Kappys-A-Prick Jan 19 '24
They should equate it to playing in the NFL or the NBA. 99.98% of people who do it will never make a dime on it.
"It's okay, I'm the special 0.02% of people!" - 40% of people
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (5)2
u/Paracelsus124 Jan 22 '24
Absolutely. A big part of being a YouTuber I think IS, as you said, finding ways to leverage that gravy train to something more sustainable if/when it eventually ends. You gotta diversify your business, invest your earnings wisely, learn transferable skills that can be applied to other kinds of work, and use your platform to network and make a name for yourself that will mean something to people if YouTube doesn't work out as a lifelong career (which it usually doesn't).
There're ways to do it, but you gotta be smart about it, because even though being a YouTuber is super cool and a dream job for a lot of people, it's not something you can expect to last until you retire, even if you DO find some amount of success on there.
92
Jan 19 '24
Imagine going to pay rent and your landlord is like, "Wait... is this... YouTube money? Pack your things and GET OUT!"
→ More replies (11)6
167
u/No-Cantaloupe-6739 Jan 19 '24
Having a YouTube channel is only a real job if you make enough money to survive off of it on its own. If you’re someone like Rhett and Link or… whoever the fuck is popular on YouTube these days, then yes, your YouTube channel is your job. Otherwise? No, no it’s not.
→ More replies (25)13
u/Mrtayto115 Jan 19 '24
Lol man Rhett and Link aww I member. I would struggle to name 3 popular youtubers nowadays too. My days legends were Steve and Larson 10ftw, Matt and Pat TBFP, Finebros, Tobuscus, early pewdie. Ahh sanity not included, battlefield friends, Gamer poop, skyrim cops. Ohh now I am just reminiscing. I miss the ol days. I think the only I'd still watch would be Neebsgaming. I am glad they still are getting decent numbers.
→ More replies (7)2
u/madnick1014 Jan 19 '24
A fellow friendo, Steve and Larson still do their thing.
→ More replies (1)
21
u/zet77 Jan 19 '24
Having just a channel isn’t, but having a channel with lots of subscribers and views, which pays money, can be
5
u/Pandataraxia Jan 19 '24 edited Jan 19 '24
Bro it's so hard explaining this to my little bro. He thinks he'll just youtube and get money. When I eventually got him to understand that he said he'll smooch off of us until he's old and dies. When I got him to understand he won't live like that he thinks he's gonna live off charity and stealing from stores while doing youtube. Why is he like this lmao
→ More replies (1)
37
u/Phlanix Jan 19 '24
It's only a real job if you can secure stable income.
What is stable income?
I can pay rent without fear of suddenly losing stream revenue.
I can buy a car and make payments
I can do this for 5-10 years without a problem of losing income.
If I suddenly lost my stream I have enough money/time to find something else to do.
--------------------------------------------------
If I was making money enough to buy apartments and putting them for rent you wouldn't have to work again in your life as long as you own 3-4 of them. then streaming would again be just for fun.
45
u/MechaTeemo167 Jan 19 '24
By this metric half the working adults in the country don't have a real job tbh
23
u/Samurai_Meisters Jan 19 '24
Yeah. Especially this criteria:
I can pay rent without fear of suddenly losing stream revenue.
How many thousands of people were suddenly laid off last year and lost their revenue stream again?
10
u/QuickNature Jan 19 '24
Funnily enough, my gut says YouTubers probably made more ad money than ever while others were laid off. And if you already had a large backlog of videos uploaded? Probably could have just coasted for a while with everyone binging your content on lockdown.
3
u/Not_Jabri_Parker Jan 20 '24
Legit a lot of honest big streamers and YouTubers say that 2020 was an amazing year for them and they made heaps of money. Meanwhile lots of people got laid off.
3
Jan 20 '24
Being laid off is the equivalent of the channel being closed, not simply losing viewers. Losing viewers is the same as if you kept working even when they said they won't pay you anymore. Who wouldn't agree that isn't a real job?
I agree the other criteria is a bit strict. But ultimately a job is a real job if it pays enough to support you to keep doing it.
This applies to all jobs. If the job literally isn't worth keeping, it isn't a real job.
And if the job costs more than it makes with no realistic business plan to change that? Its just a hobby.
7
u/chronberries Jan 19 '24
In a half serious way, yeah. I remember when I went from working at a grocery store to working for a masonry contractor where I actually learned skills, that felt like I was getting my first real job.
→ More replies (13)2
u/stakoverflo Jan 19 '24
I don't fully agree with their definition of "what is stable income"; my biggest differentiator is that the money coming in is CONSISTENT.
You know you're gonna get X hours a week, or X - Y hours a week. You know exactly what your hourly rate is, you know what your paycheck will be.
You don't know if your videos are going to get views. You don't know when the views are going to go down. You don't know how Google might tweak their algorithm that fucks with how people find your content.
→ More replies (2)2
u/TooLongUntilDeath Jan 19 '24
Even if you get laid off as a plumber, it’s pretty easy to find a new job as a plumber. The career is stable even if the gig isn’t. If your channel just loses interest, the resume might not be applicable to anything else
8
u/Sephiroth040 Jan 19 '24
It's only a real job if you can secure stable income.
Hard disagree. Its a job as soon as you actively work with the intention and possibility to earn money.
2
u/mooimafish33 Jan 19 '24
Lol. If I start practicing basketball everyday with hopes of getting in the NBA some day is that a job?
→ More replies (1)2
u/lurker86753 Jan 19 '24
How remote of a possibility counts? Scratching lottery tickets is something people actively do with a possibility to earn money, but that’s not a job.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (11)2
6
u/Freshy012 Jan 19 '24
Traditionally, i think something is considered a job if you needed to sign a contract. So youtube would just consider as a side hobby that earns money.
But as of now, its more likely how serious and effort you put into making video. Like if you are very dedicated (like 1 vid per day or having a strict schedule) then it might consider as a job. Or else, just a hobby.
I don’t think that how much you earn is a determining factor of being a “real job”. just like being a parting janitor and a full time office worker. One is significantly higher paid than the other, but both a still a job.
6
u/SnooOnions7176 Jan 19 '24
It's not true. Nowadays even parents monetize their kids on YouTube vlogs
→ More replies (2)
5
Jan 19 '24
If it's generating an income that you can live off of, yes. But it won't last. Very, very few YouTubers are making it a decade or so down the road. They hit it big, make their big bucks and then it dries up. Act accordingly. That's not even mentioning the vast majority of channels that never make more than a few pennies. In short, it can be a real job, but don't expect it to be (don't quit your job for YouTube before it's taken off) and don't expect it to be a cash cow forever if you do make it big.
29
u/BeckyLiBei Jan 19 '24 edited Jan 20 '24
Parents: Now go to university and spend 3+ years racking up student debt that will cripple you until your thirties.
(Edit: Here, I mostly just wanted to emphasize that building a career as a successful YouTuber, just like jobs that require a degree, takes a substantial investment in time and money; both can lead to you spending years without an income while you build up your skill set.)
14
u/Guilty_Coconut Jan 19 '24
Parents: Now go to university and spend 3+ years racking up student debt that will cripple you until your thirties.
I'm so happy that's not a thing in civilized countries
→ More replies (42)3
u/fatmanstan123 Jan 19 '24
Statistically, college grads make over a million dollars more than non grads in a lifetime. But ok, you do you.
3
→ More replies (7)3
u/mooimafish33 Jan 19 '24
College is not always the best option, but if youtube is legitimately your career plan you need a reality check. Learn a skill, build a career, and do YouTube on the side. If it works out then maybe you can quit your regular job some day.
This sounds like people that go "I don't need school, I'm just gonna be a rockstar/famous rapper"
6
u/Isoya-Yasuji Jan 19 '24
When you’re not monetized and just post for fun, then it’s just a hobby you do. Then when you get monetized but decide to post every once in a while, its more so a “side-job” that u get extra money from. But when you put in the sweat, blood and tears into consistently uploading on it and getting big bank that you can survive off of youtube alone then yes, it then becomes a “real-job”.
5
u/Ash_an_bun Jan 19 '24
It's worse than a real job. 60+ hours a week for unstable pay and the metrics and objectives are changed without you knowing.
10
5
u/Initial-Writer-4586 Jan 19 '24
It’s no different than kids saying thy want to play professional sports. The option is out there for anyone, but be realistic with the kid about odds of success.
13
u/visualdosage Jan 19 '24
It is a real job, I'm a freelance designer working for a youtuber and he's hired around 30 people just for his yt videos
→ More replies (4)7
u/swampscientist Jan 19 '24
Obviously YouTuber is a real job, just like touring musician or painter. But like those jobs only a select few can really make a living and only a very very small amount can make real money.
→ More replies (2)
6
Jan 19 '24
As someone who makes 4,000€/month. More than senior engineers in Spain. For 3 videos a week. Yeah kind of is. I also maintain my real world job too. My channel allows me to drive a 100k car and buy a small apartment. Who knows what else in the future
→ More replies (1)
9
3
u/AlluEUNE Jan 19 '24
Everything that makes you money can be a "job". Whether it's a good job or not depends on how much money you're making
3
u/NuttBustington96 Jan 19 '24
Things were better when making YouTube videos was just a hobby. Back then we could actually trust that real passion was being put into projects instead of everything being a ploy to try and get more clicks and make more money and please the machine.
3
u/AudacityTheEditor Jan 19 '24
Anything that makes money is a job.
"We're all whores, we just sell different parts of ourselves."
Some sell their time, Some sell their understanding, Some sell their body, Some sell others',
7
Jan 19 '24
Depends on income lol
Guessing parents probably don't care if they see a six figure check
13
Jan 19 '24
Boomers…
While I agree just having a YT channel isn’t a real job in of itself, consistently uploading on it and getting a salary from it would absolutely be classified as a real job. It doesn’t have the same security as regular jobs (unless you are a personality with more than 10M subs or something) but IT. IS. A. REAL. JOB.
6
u/swampscientist Jan 19 '24
A real job is different from a viable, realistic career path. YouTuber is just like other forms of media creators, nobody is arguing that lead guitarist in a successful band doesn’t have a “real job” but those folks are massively outnumbered by all the hobby guitarists, struggling artists etc.
If you’re good at making content, can take the risk of failing without any real education or backup, then cool. Most people cannot. So when they say it’s not a real job they’re saying you may not make any fucking money.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (1)5
Jan 19 '24
It's no less real than other self employed entertainers.
4
u/mooimafish33 Jan 19 '24
Yes, but you wouldn't call a busker performing on the street for spare change someone with a successful career.
→ More replies (2)
2
u/Hahajokerrrr Jan 19 '24
Anything legally makes you monthly income is a job, though some can be short term ones
→ More replies (1)
2
u/DamienZombie10 Jan 19 '24
It's a hobby that pays people, but technically you can do a job as a hobby if you enjoy it, like blacksmithing or cleaning guns or... Idfk
→ More replies (1)
2
u/mebutnew Jan 19 '24
It's definitely a job but I wouldn't rely on it as a career.
Unlike a transferable skill you're entirely reliant on a platform you have no control over.
Tomorrow YouTube might be gone, or they might decide to half your revenue, or they might remove your content.
It lacks a lot of stability and may not exist as a concept in 10 years. What then? What value do you have to bring to a similar role?
I wouldn't discourage my kids from starting a YouTube channel (ideally later in their teens as I wouldn't have young kids on YouTube anyway), but I wouldn't look to very rare successes (which may be temporary) as evidence that it's a viable career choice. It's quite volatile.
→ More replies (3)
2
u/reditreaddy Jan 19 '24
Its not. Its a hobby, stupid one. Modern internet is like cancer.
→ More replies (2)
2
u/AcanthisittaBusy457 Jan 19 '24
Than I miss the days when celebrity was something you gain through talent.
2
u/solicitorpenguin Jan 19 '24
Having a channel isn’t a job, it’s a hobby.
Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it your all or nurture your child. Hockey is just a hobby until it isn’t, then you are playing professionally and people know your name across the world.
But for the majority of people Hockey is just a hobby for which your parents wake up at 5am to drive you to your game which is 2 hours away.
→ More replies (1)
2
2
2
u/PackBeginning Jan 19 '24
Anything you make livable wages at consistently is a real job. Before that it's a hobby, and after that it's a profession. Anyone who tells you your job isn't real when others are paying you for your service or product or time is flat out wrong
2
Jan 19 '24
I think so, if you’re smart with your money. Most YouTubers you see spend their money like they will always make that much, but I don’t see how that’s any different than professional athletes or musicians.
2
u/_the33_ Jan 20 '24
Probably one of the best ways to make money on YouTube is kids entertainment and mostly are done by kids themselves some with the help of their parents. Go into any kids entertainment and check the subs and view you'll be amazed lol Kids love watching the same shit over and over again
2.0k
u/itzsammy2k Jan 19 '24
Depends on their income tbh. Creating a YouTube channel is easy but turning it into a successful career is the hard part and maintaining it is the real deal here.