We spent four years, lakhs in fees and sleepless nights chasing a degree — only to watch a 19-year-old gamer potentially make our annual CTC in a single brand deal!
YouTubers, stand-up comics, gamers and streamers are the new-age content army, and some are out-earning conventional professionals. On the Bigg Boss 20 premiere, gaming star ScoutOP aka Tanmay Singh revealed he earns ?30 lakh a month from streaming, leaving even Salman Khan surprised.
From Elvish Yadav and Munawar Faruqui winning reality shows to Samay Raina and CarryMinati becoming fixtures on major platforms, creators are increasingly becoming the show. Even established entertainers such as Bharti Singh and Farah Khan are building substantial digital incomes.
So, are degrees overrated?
“No one asks for your degree at the door.”
YouTuber Aaryamann Sethi, son of Archana Puran Singh and Parmeet Sethi, never chased a degree. “I never treated it like a hobby. YouTube wasn’t the plan. But I saw what it could do — it was bringing positivity and it was a worthwhile investment of my time, even monetarily. That’s when I thought, okay, I can actually do this for a living!”
He believes degrees can be overrated. “I am 12th-pass. A degree doesn’t define how much you know. My brother is one of the smartest people I know and he doesn’t have a degree either! That’s the best thing about YouTube, no one asks for your degree at the door.”
His film studies in Classes 11 and 12 taught him editing, while shooting behind-the-scenes content for his mother on The Kapil Sharma Show sharpened his visual skills.
“Taaliyaan pay karengi?”
Comedian Mohammad Hussain was expected to complete his MBA and join the family business. Instead, he chose comedy. “I would pay `200, 300, 400 to get three or four minutes of stage time. I would travel from Pune to Mumbai, the travel costs were borne by papa,” he recalls. After one successful show, his father asked, “So, taaliyaan pay karengi?” He turned down a campus placement in Delhi and moved to Mumbai, initially earning `50,000-`60,000 a month in sales.
Today, his audience includes the engineers, doctors and MBAs he roasts. But for Hussain, money isn’t the only payoff. “I can shuttle between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to be with my wife and child. That flexibility is the real luxury I have over my peers in corporate jobs apart from money.”
BSc to AI ads
Tech creator Himanshu says AI is no shortcut to riches. “Nobody pays me just because I know ChatGPT exists.” His income comes from AI ad generation, brand deals, consultancy and vibe coding. “For the first two years, I made zero. Not 5k, zero.”
He questions the economics of traditional education but doesn’t dismiss degrees outright. “Degrees aren’t useless — you need them to be a doctor or lawyer. But spending lakhs and 3-4 years to land a `.40,000 job while skills change every few months is what I question.”
From splitsvilla to brand deals
Soundarya Thakur, first noticed on Splitsvilla and now a fashion creator, entered content creation in 2016, when it was hardly considered a career. “There was no competition, but demand was growing faster than talent. That gap is why the industry is still far from saturated.” But content creation also taught her something college didn’t: business. “No course taught what to do when money actually starts coming in — how to manage, negotiate, grow it. I realised I am not just a creator, I am also a businesswoman today.”
But, but, but…
For years, Ankur Warikoo was the person warning aspiring creators: “Don’t do it. It’s career suicide. Keep your job. YouTube is a side hustle, not your future.”
Sports and gaming lawyer Riya Rajkumar Sharma says gaming has moved beyond hobby status, but warns against confusing exceptional earners with the average player. “A few top players may earn very well, while many others have inconsistent incomes. Don’t look at a few high earners and assume everyone is making the same.”
A salaried job offers predictable income and employment protections, she points out, while gaming income depends on performance. Her advice: understand the risks and maintain a financial backup.
Should India create dedicated esports degrees? “Esports should definitely be recognised as a legitimate career, but I don’t think everyone needs a dedicated degree to become a pro gamer,” she says. Structured courses in esports management, coaching, broadcasting and business, however, could have value.
I am 12th-pass. A degree doesn’t define how much you know. My brother is one of the smartest people I know and he doesn’t have a degree either! That’s the best thing about YouTube, no one asks for your degree at the door.”
— YouTuber Aaryamann
Highlight: From YT and gaming to comedy and AI, a new generation is finding career outside conventional education and employment
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
