There is a simple truth, there is no one person who is good at everything. In the same way there is no one job that fits all people either. As a case in point my father and my stepfather both worked as realtors for a few years. In that way they had the same career for a little while.
However they had vastly different personalities. My father thrived as a realtor, sold a number of properties, made a lot of money, and really enjoyed what he did. My stepfather? He did very poorly as a realtor. He made very very little money and in the end changed professions.
What is the difference? They are both smart men. They both worked hard. However, one of them was a much much better people person.
In the end their success came down to one thing:
Charisma.
The power of being a people person
Charisma is important!
Now Charisma goes by a new word at least here locally. Both of my son's refer to 'Rizz. Unfortunately my younger son has it and my older son....well, he has to work at it. As for their Dad? Well, he never had it and can't even fake it (sigh).
Both of my sons have been trying their hand at dating. I hear the term "Gotta 'rizz up the ladies". Or gotta get my 'rizz on. I will admit that the phrase irritates me as women aren't there to be hunted but try convincing younger men of that. It is a losing battle.
Still. My younger son. Charisma comes easily and he has girls falling over themselves trying to date him.
My older son. He's given up on dating as too much work for so little gain.
The two couldn't be more different.
And that also translates into the types of jobs that they will be good at in the future.
Charisma and job prospects
When it comes to jobs my sons have two very different career paths they wish to follow. My older son wants to become an electricity. Work at the jobsite and his his hands and skill to wire things up and get things working. That's a perfect type of job for someone who doesn't care to work with people. Since he is also very good at fixing things and getting stuff done I think he will really excel in his chosen profession.
As for my younger son? He wants to become a Doctor. Now I think he is crazy because there is SO much work and study that has to go into it. However, if he can get accepted into the right Universities and persevere through the workload I really think that his outgoing nature and people skills will serve him well as a physician. He gets along easily with people and earns their trust quickly. I may be wrong but I think that is a really important trait for any good doctor.
(my younger son hanging out with the dog. Image is mine
And if he doesn't feel like working so hard as a physician, there is also his fallback idea.
Become an influencer.
Social media influencers
Now it seems that everyone wants to be a YouTube celebrity these days. I mean why not? Work from home. Make loads of money. Have lots of fun. Become a celebrity with just streaming whatever you want.
But most people don't realize how much work goes in the productions AND how important Charisma is for it to work.
Without Charisma an influencer will never be able to connect with the masses and their user count will never hit critical mass. Very Unfortunate. I mean how many people spend a lot of time trying to make good videos only to find out that no-one watches them?
But in addition to Charisma there is the problem of always having to find new ways to make interesting content. There is the business side of things to do the marketing for the channel. There is the technical side of keeping things looking good and well edited. There is the need to appear unscripted while still being able to follow your script.
At the end of the day those short "effortless" video's take an awful lot of work. Even if they are just glamour video's of girls looking pretty. I wonder just how much time and how many angles are required to get just the right look so you can compete with all the other beauties vying for viewer.
Not for everyone
While many many people want to follow the "easy" route to fame and fortune by being an influencer. I'm well aware that most will ultimately fail. Why? They don't have the Charisma. If they do have the Charisma they may not have the tenacity and skill required to keep the channel going.
End result: It's a lot percentage play.
Then there is the pandering to the user base. How low will someone stoop just to get views? What challenge of the week are you willing to cater to?
Could my older son become an influencer?
Nope. He has many skills but that's not one of them
Could my younger son become an influencer?
Probably not but at least he might have a chance with hard work
How about their Dad?
Hahaha....
No chance whatsoever. Being on camera? (ugh). Having to be always on and cheerful (ugh). Trying to be Charismatic and witty. Wow how tiring would that be.
Great for those who can do it
At the end of the day there are some unique individuals that bring a little joy into peoples lives by being an influencer. For those people I salute them and thank them for their hard work.
For the rest of us. Well, let's be content being entertainment consumers and be a little judicious in what we watch as there is a lot of crap out there.
Pick a job that matches your skill
Sure it might not be glamorous but there are lots of jobs out there, try to find one suited to whatever talents you have and at the end of the day you will likely be happier because of it.
And that's my rant to cover the #hive learners prompt about social media influencers. Thanks for the topic and no thanks to ever following that career path.
And as always, I love feedback. Feel like sending a message, well, that would be awesome.