Gen Alpha is snubbing the careers that boomers dreamed of. As influencers become the new faces of entrepreneurship, they want in
- Gen Alpha watched influencers make millions from daily vlogs and video game content—now they want a piece of the pie. The generation’s top career choice is to become a YouTuber or TikToker, according to a recent survey of 12 to 15-year-olds.
Gone are the days of kids aspiring to be a ballerina, the president, or an astronaut—Gen Alpha wants the dream jobs of the digital era. They’ve swapped Neil Armstrong for MrBeast, and Serena Williams for Emma Chamberlain.
That’s because being a YouTuber is Gen Alpha’s top job aspiration. More than 30% of 12 to 15-year-olds say they want the career, according to a recent report from social commerce platform Whop. The gig is followed up by 21% of the kids aiming to become TikTok creators—another highly lucrative platform, launching the careers of million-dollar successes Addison Rae, Charli D’Amelio, and Khaby Lame.
TikTok and YouTube creators are jobs that simply didn’t exist 25 years ago, but it’s a dream for digital natives who grew up with vlogs and bingeable videos as entertainment.
“Gen Alpha has grown up watching YouTubers who have turned content creation into highly lucrative careers,” Cameron Zoub, co-founder of Whop, tells Fortune. “Unlike TV, movie, or sports celebrities, these digital figures feel more relatable and accessible, making the YouTuber career path seem achievable.”
Most of the youngest generation dreams of being the next Markiplier or digital world builder, with 19% of Minecraft and Fortnite-obsessed Gen Alpha seeking a career designing video games. But there’s still a cohort of kids pursuing traditional jobs like nursing, entrepreneurship, teaching, and athletics. They have one foot in the digital world of self-made influencers, and one in the storied arena of white-collar work.
Gen Alpha’s siren call from the office to social media
Gen Alpha still aspires for some traditional jobs. The report found that 20% want to be a doctor or nurse, 15% hope to be an athlete, and 14% are looking to become a teacher. However, their choices might be more rooted in their home environment rather than emerging trends.
“Traditional careers like doctors and lawyers will likely always hold a level of prestige and demand,” Zoub says. “If Gen Alpha grows up seeing family members in traditional professions or interacting with inspiring figures in these roles, they may be more inclined to follow a similar path.”
But there’s another player that has entered the chat: the internet. Just a couple of generations ago, kids may have looked up to their parents as the central money-maker of their lives. Now, just by logging onto Instagram or TikTok, stories of “get-rich-quick” tricks and overnight careers litter kids’ feeds. They’re even being lured into influencer jobs; around 23% of Gen Alpha kids have been contacted by a brand with a digital sponsorship opportunity, according to Whop’s data. And about 30% would consider making money through the partnerships on YouTube or TikTok.
“Kids today see YouTubers like MrBeast, streamers, and online resellers achieving financial success without a college degree or traditional career path,” Zoub says. “It’s also important to recognize that at a young age, career choices are also often based on what looks fun rather than financial logic.”
Alyssa Tucker, New York City school teacher and co-founder of popular kids comedy account @LiveFromSnackTime, also polled her followers on what their Gen Alpha kids want to grow up to be. Submissions from her 800,000-plus fans on Instagram began rolling in.
The youngest children in the Gen Alpha range—which spans from children born after 2010, up until today—gave unpredictable answers like alligator, snow plow man, and Lady Gaga backup dancer. Multiple kids even espoused their dream career: being a tree. But Tucker’s survey results also pulled on a common thread found in Whop’s data: that Gen Alpha aspires to be video-game makers and artists.
“A few years back, if [kids] wanted to be creative, they thought about art,” Tucker tells Fortune. “But nowadays, because there is so much technology, social media, computer games, and YouTube, they think of creativity in a different way.”
Top 10 job aspirations for Gen Alpha
Whop’s 2024 survey gathered insights from 910 U.S. Gen Alpha across the U.S. aged between 12-15 years old. Participants selected all careers they were aspiring towards.
- YouTuber (32%)
- TikTok creator (21%)
- Doctor/nurse (20%)
- Mobile app/video game developer (19%)
- Entrepreneur (17%)
- Artist (16%)
- Sports athlete (15%)
- Professional online streamer (15%)
- Musician (14%)
- Teacher (14%)
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com