Successful Content Creator to Quit Full-Time Glamorous Job for a Corporate Role; Here's Why

Ana Wolfermann (@anawolfermann), a 23-year-old influencer from New York, lives a glamorous life filled with sponsored trips, free products, and delicious food. She's thinking of leaving it all behind for a conventional 9 to 5 job. Ana explained her reasons for considering a move from her current full-time position as a content creator to a corporate one in an interview with Fortune magazine. Ana's adventure on TikTok started in her freshman year in college. But she's realized that everything in her life is focused on what she can post on social media. She feels more self-centered and nervous as a result of this attention.

Ana looked up to full-time influencers in college and wanted to be just like them. She couldn't wait to graduate and start working as an influencer full-time. But after following this route for six months, Ana began to have second thoughts. She wondered if she wanted to spend her whole life promoting herself. Ana stated that while she still wants to share stuff on social media, it won't take up her entire life.

"When you are the brand, and you are the product, it can be very unsettling," Ana said. She explained the downside of social media, explaining that her entire life revolved around creating content for her one million TikTok followers.

"With myself being my full focus, I would wake up every single day and think: What can I say today? What can I share today? What can I post today? My entire day became focused on what I was doing and what I had to say... it just led me down a very narcissistic and anxious route," she elaborated.

Wolfermann's relatives and friends wondered at her decision to take a leave from full-time content creation. “Everybody thought I was possibly delusional and I just didn't get it. They were like, ‘Why would you want to work for somebody else? Why would you want to not have control over your own time? Why would you want to take time away from what you could be building?’” she told in her interview. 

Despite the doubts expressed by some, Ana believes that working in a corporate setting has several benefits, the primary one being the constant interaction with coworkers.

“To see people every day and have relationships with them is my number one priority, even though I know that's probably the least important one. To me, it's a pretty big deal. Number two: I'm extremely excited to work for somebody else,” said Wolfermann. “I'm very excited to learn new skills—I'm just really excited.”

Wolfermann admits that her next position—should she land one—won't pay as much as her current one in content creation. Even so, she's still excited about it.

“Part of the reason why so many people idolize social media and aim to turn it into their full-time job is because it pays very well and offers incredible opportunities,” she explained. “I'll likely find a job that I'm deeply passionate about and eager to go to work for every single day. But I don't expect it to match the income I earn annually as an influencer.”