Reading ‘blogs’ for literature and consuming ‘content’ for entertainment — the world has changed a lot over the last 10 years. The internet has opened some unimaginable prospects, and no we are not talking about flying cars or robot servants (remember Jetsons!). We are rather hinting at the offbeat job opportunities that have emerged lately.
The Indian Gen Z supposedly spends an average of 8 hours per day online. With ‘follower count’ being the new currency and social media being the new marketplace, let’s have a look at some of the jobs that did not exist even 10 years ago.
1. Content creator
If the first thing you do every morning is check your phone, you’re officially addicted to social media. As is the rest of this generation. Thanks to the budding influence of the internet, content creation has emerged as one of the most fruitful career ventures. If you’re good at something, the world wants to see it. You can start with something as basic as a tripod and phone, and make your way into the world of internet.
2. Influencer manager
With the rise in influencer culture, what skyrocketed was the workforce required to manage these talents. A sub-division of marketing, influencer management deals with managing the work of influential people of social media. If you eat, breathe, sleep social media, and yet possess the quality of building and maintaining long-lasting professional relationships with excellent time-management and problem-solving skills, this could be your thing. If you’re looking for a 9-5 job, this might not be your thing.
3. Esports athlete
Often associated with the image of runners, basketball players, and Olympians, it’s a little difficult to look at a bunch of people playing video games and call them athletes. Growing up in a household where playing video games was not the most encouraged habit, I feel bad for what I could’ve been (I did save Mario’s princess once). But you need to be better than that if you want to be a professional esports athlete. You have to find the right game, join the relevant community, get the right gears (you’ll be surprised by the range of gaming equipment), and practice. Like any other skill based profession, esports require a lot of practice, followed by which you join a team and put yourself out there by competing on various platforms till you get noticed.
4. Digital marketing specialist
Every day we open our eyes to a new hashtag, a new trend, a new campaign. We create reels, upload pictures, or share a tweet in response. Living in a world where word of Instagram spreads faster than the word of mouth, no brand can do without a robust marketing strategy. Every time we take a #kitkatbreak or share a picture that is #shotoniphone, we perform as per the expectations of some digital marketing specialist out there who studied our behaviour and turned it into a profitable marketing movement for their client. If you think you can tap the nerve of your audience, digital marketing might be the thing for you.
5. Zumba instructor
Gone are the days when fitness was associated only with running hours on treadmill and lifting the heaviest of weights. This generation is all about having fun, so we came up with the most entertaining way of embracing fitness— dance. With Zumba being the new trend, you add to your body’s health using dance as a medium; and those who design and facilitate this super-exciting curriculum are your Zumba instructors. This is the perfect amalgamation of exercise and music that takes the ‘work’ out of working out.
6. Podcast producer
While running the rat race, we don’t have enough time to read books or watch hour-long lectures. And the best way to still get our daily dose of entertainment and education are podcasts. If you have a knack, a skill, or just a lot of knowledge to share, podcasting can be your thing. You can start off by recording your podcasts for Instagram, and then shift to monetised versions once you gain a loyal audience base.
7. Meme creator
Have you stumbled across Zomato’s memes on untimely hunger or CRED’s memes about being broke? Meme creators are to thank for that. Professional meme creation is the next big thing in the market. After all, what is the fastest way of being noticed on the internet than being laughed at? Meme creation is more than just curating something funny, it is also about understanding media algorithms and staying up to date with every single thing under the blue sky.
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