Rich or Bust : Should I Quit My Job to Create Content Full-Time?

This is why you should think twice

You’ve reached a fork in the road of life. Do you slowly continue along the reliable path which has progressively led you to a place of comfort and satisfaction (following a traditional career path), or do you veer onto new, unexplored territory with the hope of discovering true happiness and luxury at the risk of losing everything you’ve left behind (becoming a full time content creator)?

If your mind is still wavering between the two options, this article will help you to answer the age old question —

should I quit my job and follow my passion of becoming the next Top content creator?

Before we venture deeper into the topic, ask yourself, is entertainment your PASSION? Is becoming a social media influencer your DREAM?

To what lengths would you go for growth on social media?

Many of you will have already fallen in love with the words, but abstract concepts such as “follow your dreams” often fail to paint the entire picture of what it takes to become a full-time content creator. 95% of social media influencers will spend months if not years of time aimlessly pushing out content to a minimal audience of followers. Those with more experience will be consistently scripting and uploading (bi)weekly YouTube content, Instagram highlights, Medium articles and Twitter posts within their niche.

Beyond that, content creators are expected to design aesthetically pleasing overlays, banners, emotes, panels and alerts, particularly when live streaming, which create a more interactive chat experience for their viewers, followers and subscribers. On top of this, analyzing stats and metrics whilst maintaining positive discussion within a lively Discord server is a bigger commitment than most initially bargain for.

Beyond the rose-tinted glasses is an image of an individual who must sacrifice their social landscape, witness ongoing disappointment and uncertainty in the faces of family and friends who objectively have to watch on as your mental and physical wellbeing deteriorate, and an unhealthy competitive drive to stay financially afloat with ad revenue, Patreon supporters, live stream donations and subscriber goals to gain traction across all platforms. Your path to success will force you into a lifestyle of isolation. Change is binding.

“We face many storms in life. And every storm that we face changes us!” ― Avijeet Das

Feel free to reach out to me if you know of any social media stars who quit their jobs and became an overnight success story with little to no pre-existing followers on their respective platform(s). Granted, there are exceptions to the rule, but those examples will be few and far between.

Are you being sold the dream of social media success ?

social media outlets, books, blogs and Instagram influencers promote the notion that following your passion of posting consistently every day will guarantee you an idealized vision of success. “Follow your passion” is a crutch used by marketing and advertising companies to perpetuate the narrative that we should drop everything to chase our dreams of finding happiness. By their logic, if you want to be successful and happy, you have no other choice but to do away with your snug reality and take a leap of faith into the unknown, and only that way can your life be defined as having purpose.

If it’s that easy, why aren’t we all chasing our passions?

In truth, all of these schemes have the same goal in common, to push naive consumers to use their platform or to purchase their product.

The problem with sailing off into the sunset and never looking back is that you’ll eventually hit an obstacle stopping you in your tracks. “Purpose”, much like “Passion” is another vacant topic often thrown about to induce emotion. The more involved we become with unearthing our purpose, the more we lose sight of that which we already have.

We may learn how to be mindful of our daily tasks and the nurturing elements of a healthy, balanced life, but ultimately, none of these approaches shed clear light on our specific “purpose”. We condition our brains to believe that we were the chosen ones from birth, expected to achieve more than simply living, loving, learning and working.

“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.” — Jim Carrey

The mere fact that you are content to lead a “normal” life, are under-employed, suffering with a mental illness, juggling between work and kids does not conclude that you lack passion, purpose or dreams. You must be able to support yourself and others before you can support your dreams. It also doesn’t rule out your capacity to grow on social.

On the contrary, your many years of experience, expertise and the trusting relationships that you’ve formed throughout your time at the job that you are considering letting go of may serve as a source of courage and happiness that you desperately need to see social media growth.

By choosing to focus solely on your dreams of becoming a content creator, you’ll need to appreciate that you’re the new kid in town devoid of any predisposed reputation, and must develop a new skillset to get your foot through the door.

Rather than commit to either option ( committing to your job Vs. full-time content creation), instead think of combining your strengths with your passion to create a niche that will help you to stand out on social. Honing in on a singular venture limits your imagination and openness to new and exciting opportunities. As content creation platforms become progressively entwined, online communities that offer a unique approach to entertainment by combining multiple disciplines hold greater power amongst your chosen platform’s saturated market.

Don’t fall in love with your dreams, fall in love with the process.

Imagine you strike lucky and achieve your dreams of success in a few months, there is no guarantee that you’ll stay on top. What then? Do you give up because you’ve watched the spectacle of your dreams unfolding, or do you take a step back to analyse what it is about creating content that truly motivates you to extend your resources to great lengths to share your joy and enthusiasm for the craft?

This is where the distinction needs to be drawn between a passion / dream, and a vision. In its simplest form, a dream is a fantasy that we don’t necessarily intend to manifest as a reality, whereas a vision is the deliberate act of putting our plans into motion. A vision takes thoughtful consideration of the time it will take, the money it will cost and the step-by-step process that will be enacted to complete it despite the challenges and setbacks.

The take home message

To summarize, your dreams and passions do matter, but be sure to acknowledge that your current reality is equally as important until you are able to manifest your dream into a workable vision. Be sensible, prepare for failure and continue to re-assess your motivation to create consistent content. If not for yourself, do it for your followers. Play to your strengths, combine them with your passions, commit to your vision.