YouTube: where career opportunities are created

Thirty years ago, when TV was the most popular form of entertainment, nobody could imagine that there would be a place online where individuals could watch hours upon hours of videos whenever and wherever they wanted.

Nowadays, this dream is a luxury taken for granted.

It all started back in 2005, when three former PayPal workers founded YouTube, a video-sharing website that hosts user-generated videos.

Since that fateful time, its popularity has skyrocketed: YouTube now boasts over 1 billion users. With this massive viewership, many YouTubers, professionals who regularly upload videos, have gained millions of dedicated followers.

One of the top YouTube stars, makeup artist Michelle Phan, has nearly 8 million subscribers on her beauty and lifestyle channel. Like many other YouTubers, she started off making videos as a hobby, never expecting to become famous.

Fast forward eight years, and now every upload of hers receives anywhere from 1 to 61 million views. Her viewership comes mostly from young women seeking advice on a range of topics, from skincare to fashion.

Inspired by the positive feedback on her videos, Phan had an idea to create a makeup range for her viewers. In 2013, Phan announced that she wanted to launch her own line of makeup, Em-Cosmetics.

Attracted by Phan’s online popularity, Carol Hamilton, president of L’oreal Lux, offered to help Phan realize her dream. The team has released all sorts of makeup since then, including 11 different eyeshadow palettes and several types of mascaras and lipsticks.

These days, YouTubers are taking a page out of Phan’s book and are looking to expand past what is online into what can be sold in stores. A recent trend has been publishing books, whether it be a memoir, a book filled with fun activities to complete or just a simple guidebook.

Joey Graceffa, who has a lifestyle and gaming channel, has released a book called “In Real Life,” where he talks openly about sensitive topics like his struggles with sexual orientation, bullying and rejection.

For Graceffa, his viewers are like his second family. Because the YouTube community is mostly supportive of him and his decisions, he feels comfortable sharing personal details with his audience. “In Real Life” was written in hopes of helping others in similar situations; it received overwhelming support and has become a New York Times Bestseller.

With millions of hours of videos being watched every day, the viewers are ultimately the individuals that made YouTube truly take off as a popular social networking site. They have helped the website evolve from an entertainment spot to a place where budding entrepreneurs can start their careers and branch off into different fields of business. Already, YouTube has become a source of success for hundreds of young, passionate directors, musicians and actors.

As Graceffa said in “In Real Life,” “You have the power and control to be whatever you want to be, no matter where you start in life.” And if you start as a vlogger on YouTube, all the better.