It’s no secret that influencers have taken over the marketing and advertising world, especially on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
But how stable would a career as an influencer be if there are an influx of people doing the exact same thing?
Doctor and guest speaker, Dr Malar, took to her Facebook page, Celoteh Dr Malar, to urge children to choose more stable careers as she believed that becoming a TikToker isn’t a job.
She wrote, “(Becoming a) TikToker is NOT a job! Yes, that’s my opinion. I’m sorry if there are parents who don’t agree, or if there are teachers who disagree. But I’m sticking to my opinion, which is that becoming a TikToker is not a JOB.”
This was brought up after she was invited to give a health talk at a secondary school in Ampang.
Upon asking the Form 3 students what they wanted to be when they became adults, for doctors, engineers and teachers, only a handful of students raised their hands.
“I thought that that was very strange as the numbers of students (attending the talk) was about 200 students. So out of curiosity, I asked, ‘What do you all want to be?’. Everyone was shouting things out and I couldn’t really hear what they were saying, but I could catch a few words.”
“So I asked, ‘Who wants to be a TikToker?’. A quarter of the hall raised their hands, especially the girls sitting in the back. ‘Who wants to be a YouTuber?’, another quarter of the quarter of the hall raised their hands, this time it was the majority of the male students. I for stumped for a second,” she added.
She then decided the lecture the students in regards to her belief that being a TikToker isn’t an appropriate career choice.
“Being a TikToker isn’t a job! Those who do business on TikTok are entrepreneurs like Khairul Aming, they are not TikTokers, they are businessmen. Those who do business can use platforms like TikTok and Facebook to generate sales. Those who work, can use these platforms for side incomes.”
“But, if you want to live by being a full-time TikToker, your life will be filled with instability. One second the income could be high, the next second there could be no income at all for months. If that’s not enough, the reality is that influencers’ lives are unstable because many people will ask for free reviews, to go to fashions shows for free, become models for free, create content for free and so on,” she told the students.
This image is for illustration purposes only.
She further explained to them that it may look like influencers and TikTokers are living luxurious lifestyles, but in reality, they are tired because they are busy giving out free reviews as paid ones don’t come often.
“They’re like waiting for the moon to fall onto their laps. Becoming a TikToker is not a job. Or in other words, it’s not a stable job not a profession that can provide long-term stability.”
Instead, she told the students to look for knowledge and she urged them to consider jobs that can provide stable incomes.
“If you want to do business, you can but your math skills need to be powerful. Marketing needs to be powerful. Communication skills need to be powerful. And the most important thing is that you must be prepared to face losses. If you don’t have the courage to bear losses, if you can’t face losses, don’t do business; just work for a salary.”
“So, to the youngsters who are in school, please understand what I’m trying to tell you. Pursue and gain as much knowledge as possible. Get a job that gives you a stable income and gather a lot of money. After that, if you want to do business, do it with dignity. Don’t jump into becoming a TikToker or content creator and then regret it when your income is not stable,” she added.
What do you think about her thoughts on becoming a TikToker as a full-time career choice?
Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
