From YouTuber to Office Worker: The Dream of Being a Streamer Dies Fast Among Japanese Students

We have all fantasized about quitting the monotonous life of an office worker, buying ourselves a microphone with RGB lights, and living off people's donations while playing video games. Japanese children are no exception. In fact, it has just been confirmed that the dream job of Japanese childhood is no longer being an astronaut or saving lives, but becoming streamers and YouTubers. But don't worry, the harsh reality of the brutal Japanese labor system takes care of crushing that fantasy quite quickly.

The harsh transition from YouTuber to corporate employee

According to the most recent annual survey by the educational publisher Gakken, the profession of online content creator swept the absolute first place among elementary school students in Japan, dethroning the classic and boring dream of being a pastry chef. However, the numbers show a brutal reality check as young people grow up and social pressure begins to stifle them. By the time they reach junior high school, interest in streaming plummets to a tie for fourth place. And in high school? It disappears completely from the coveted Top 10.

Basically, Japanese teenagers open their eyes and realize that the market is oversaturated and that not everyone has the charisma (or the money for a 2D waifu model) necessary to survive on the internet. While the little ones see the world through rose-colored glasses thinking that screaming in front of a camera is easy money, older students start breaking into a cold sweat over their future. In the end, they decide they prefer to ensure food is on the table and opt for traditional, stable, and depressing careers such as company employee, teacher, or nurse.

Knowing that the magical dream of living off live streams and Super Chats dies the moment it's time to pay taxes, did you also think about abandoning everything to become a streamer or were you always aware that it is a suicidal financial gamble?