In today’s world, the aspirations of young people have shifted significantly. No longer are professions like doctors and teachers at the top of their dream job lists; instead, many kids now aim to become influencers or YouTubers.

Figures such as former Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague and popular YouTubers like MrBeast and KSI have demonstrated the lucrative potential of content creation, earning millions through their online presence and partnerships with major brands.

Jim Louderbeck, the CEO of VidCon, an influencer brand, highlights the trend by noting that in the United States alone, 27 million individuals, including one in 12 working adults, are engaged in creating content.

As people worldwide leave behind careers in fields like medicine, education, and even sports for the allure of online stardom, the question arises: how achievable is it to mirror the success one sees online?

The Daily Mail ventured to Macao, China, for Creator Week 2025—a global five-day festival celebrating the most groundbreaking influencers—to uncover the essential strategies for succeeding in this industry.

One such influencer, Charly Jordan, 26, who grew up in a conservative Mormon family and was once a competitive track athlete, now has 7.6 million followers on TikTok, four million on Instagram, and runs several successful business ventures.

But despite her success (she charges $60,000 for a single TikTok post and earns enough to pay her bills and mortgage), she’s warned fans never to rely solely on content creation for money.

‘Just relying on social media for income is not smart because it can change. Social media is a tool to get you to where you want to be,’ said the influencer and DJ, who started her online career aged 17 after giving up her Olympic ambitions.

Seoyeon Kim, 30, is a former yoga teacher. Today her food and fashion content is watched by three million followers across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok

Meanwhile, on the topic of romance – she’s learned to keep it far away from social media: ‘It’s really hard to move on from relationships because people bring it up all the time’.

Elsewhere, Phaith Montoya, a beauty and lifestyle content creator with four million followers on social media, made content for two years before quitting her job as a substitute teacher in 2022 when she got her big break. 

The decision to pursue content creation has afforded Phaith her first home and major collaborations with brands like Shein and Victoria’s Secret. But if people want to follow in her footsteps they’ll need to withstand temptation, she warned. 

‘You can survive off your social media income but you have to make really smart moves and smart investments,’ she said. ‘For example, I’m very frugal but I bought a house. I’m the youngest person in my family to ever own a home’.

Phaith – who attended Creator Week with her boyfriend of four months – now lives a more lavish life, courtesy of raking in six figures per TikTok post. She said the money is worth it despite constant trolling and ‘death threats’ from social media users. 

‘It’s either really positive or negative… but a lot of the time it’s really negative, especially being plus-size in the fashion space. 

‘A lot of people are in the era of Ozempic and they don’t think I belong, so every time I post a picture and it goes viral I get thousands of think pieces… it’s hard. 

‘I’ve gotten death threats for being plus-size but I always say “the haters bought my house” so that’s how I weather the storm. If you’re going to hate you’re boosting my engagement.’ 

Some of the world’s top influencers are raking in mega bucks after ditching traditional jobs and education for the lure of the web (Pictured: Los Angeles-based content creator and influencer Charly Jordan, 26)

Phaith gave up her job as a substitute teacher after her online followers grew to two million (the content creator is pictured in China for Creator Week)

The 27-year-old, from New Jersey, didn’t quit her role as a teacher until she had two million followers, explaining: ‘I was making money at the time – the amount of money I was making on TikTok was what I was making as a substitute teacher. 

‘I could’ve quit way earlier but the stability of having that pay cheque every two weeks was what kept me employed in a 9-5 for so long’.

Sharing further advice, lifestyle content creator Reggie Martin, 47, who was raised in Chicago but has spent the last 25 years in Hong Kong, said it’s crucial for influencers to be financially savvy.

He said: ‘I like doing one year deals or two year deals. I’m more into knowing how much money I have yearly or for two years instead of having $3,000 for two days or $5,000 for a happy birthday. It’s just easier for me to turn that down now.’ 

The influencer brands himself as ‘The black China Man’ on Instagram; where he is followed by 6.1 million people from around the world, including fans from his current abode.

Reggie’s credentials exist beyond social media – he also works as head of VIP relations at Macao’s luxury casino resort, The Sands.

Today he sported a shimmering bracelet as he chatted to the Daily Mail; the sparkling jewel is part of his latest social media deal, worth a striking $110,000.

Elsewhere, Indahkus, real name Indah Kusumaningrum, abandoned a thriving career as a GP to make content full time. 

‘I earn enough to live like a princess’ joked the 31-year-old. But there’s nothing funny about pulling in a staggering $100,000 for a sponsored Instagram post. 

While in Macao for Creator Week, Reggie (pictured) told the Daily Mail that he earned a degree in recreational management, but now makes six figures a year from multi social media deals

Indahkus and Ramengvrl live in Jakarta, Indonesia, where they share a home together. They’ve built a global social media following from lifestyle and fashion content, and manic fans in Macao couldn’t get enough of the duo.

Indahkus paused her medical career in 2019 but said she can’t see herself going back: ‘I don’t have time to be a proper doctor right now. I’m taking a break because I’m so busy performing.’

Housemate Putri Estiani, or Ramengvrl to fans, is a 33-year-old rapper who quit the e-commerce industry in 2017, because she was over being a ‘corporate slave’.

‘I didn’t come from a silver spoon family so I needed to save a little bit of money as a safety blanket just in case the music and content thing didn’t work out’ she said.

Both women recognise social media as the tool that made their music careers possible because it has brought in the ‘big money’, said Ramengvrl. The influencer commands as much as $200,000 per sponsored post.

‘Personally, for me I make money from shows, royalties and publishing – but on the other hand content creation helped me build a strong fan base. It really, really helped me with the big money. It funds my lifestyle without having to rely only on shows’.

Other influencers at the event included Seoyeon Kim, 30. She is a former yoga teacher who recently made the jump into content creation. 

Her food and fashion content is watched by three million followers across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok where she charges up to $6000 per post.