Inspires Millennials to Follow Their Intuition and Pursue Their Dreams – Without a College Degree
The millennial generation’s office space looks less like the traditional 9-to-5 cubicle workplaces and more like flexible schedules from the comfort of their home. Less and less young adults feel the need to go to college, yet the millennial generation is thriving in new job markets, such as YouTube. Why is this so, and how are 18-year olds inspired to follow their dreams and pursue online careers, such as being a YouTuber full time? In an interview with Stella Rae, YouTuber, and social media influencer, we uncovered the drive that enables fresh high school graduates to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.
Stella Rae is an 18-year-old beauty and lifestyle blogger, living out her dreams of being a full-time YouTuber in Los Angeles. Sitting down for the interview, she smiles wholeheartedly and seems to radiate the exact same positive energy as in her videos. If you’ve seen any of her uploads, you know just how authentic she is and how her honesty shines through. She has absolutely nothing to hide, everything to share.
She tells us that she has been making videos since she was ten. “I could share my life and things I was interested in with the rest of the world. I got into makeup and fashion and then I turned vegan so my videos became more centered around that. So, it’s really like a reflection of how I’ve changed and grown up.”
Stella shared her years of growing up with the world and committed to a personal-development and self-love journey, with which she has inspired thousands of other young girls with already. “We all go through things, especially as you go through puberty, you grow up, you aren’t sure of yourself at times. I feel like YouTube has given me a platform to find myself in a way that I wouldn’t have otherwise.”
Stella isn’t one to fall into the same box with other YouTubers to just get views, but what she creates is true to herself. “I just always stay true to what I’m viewing or what I’m thinking. So I don’t get too caught up in what other people are doing.”
With all the mainstream beauty and fashion trends (endorsed by YouTubers), the beauty market seems to be producing complete look-alike girls. Eyebrows on fleek, highlight on point, plumped lips, it’s almost impossible to stand out nowadays. While Stella likes following beauty trends, she is on a whole new level of confidence with her personality, style, and content. She tells her audience that raw confidence and unique individuality does not come from expensive beauty products. It is rather what is on the inside that reflects true beauty.
Veganism can Yield Confidence
In the last couple of years, she has embarked on a vegan lifestyle and shared her journey with her fans. “I think with being vegan especially, it’s made me realize that none of these materialistic, superficial things matter. It’s all about your intentions and what you want or what you need.” There was not the slightest stumble in her words. “It’s not so much how you look on the outside or how other people view you, it’s like, – are you good in yourself?”
Many girls struggle with accepting their looks. Stella is trying to change this and is a successful motivational speaker for self-love. Her daily vlogs have shown young girls that as long as you take care of your body and mind, you can be content with yourself. “Everyday you can work towards being more of yourself and being happier instead of looking at what you have or what others think of you. It is a constant process but that is what makes it fun.” For Stella, it has been a journey of working out on regular and providing her body with the nutrients it needs, but no processed foods. She records her progress and results on video to share it with her viewers.
The Millennial Movement
The old cliché, go to college, get good grades, and get a good job is not how it works anymore. More so in this generation, the path that has been the most followed, isn’t for everyone. “I’m not going to college, I’m pursuing something, that’s more common now, but I guess compared to the majority, not many people do this,” says Stella when asked about her plans for after graduating high school.
Millennials are really interested in the role of government, small business, and the market. They have a desire and curiosity to be entrepreneurs and to be part of the American Dream. That being said, “Millennials want to be in the market but do not have the financial means to invest in stock markets,” says Justin Dent, co-founder of GenFKD, where research on millennial employment is conducted.
According to surveys, 40 percent people said their college degree did not help them find work. On top of that, more than half were carrying $10,000 or more in student debt.
Colleges and universities are less able to show that it is worth the investment: rather, students are taking on a debt that is precluding them from investing in the stock market or putting money into a home, and at the same time working in positions that do not require college degrees.
Millennials are the most indebted generation, but also the most educated, and that is not being translated into the labor market or the workforce. 1 in 5 college graduates is unemployed and unable to find work. Companies like Google and IBM are top companies that millennials want to work for yet they do not require college degrees. All this sums up to one idea: why would Millennials go to college when they feel it is not necessarily needed to start their careers?
YouTube as a platform in itself has allowed hundreds of young girls to follow their dreams and share their interests with others, inspiring them to be ambitious and do what they love. The job market is changing. The millennial generation of ambitious young adults is more likely to follow their intuition on doing what they love after high school rather than committing to the customary 9-to-5 office job traditional to the generations before us.
“I think it’s just about knowing what you want, what you need, and who you are true to your core. If you’re just following what your parents tell you, what your friends tell you, what’s inside you tells you, you’re never going to be truly happy,” advises Stella Rae. “You have to reflect on the things that you do in your life that bring you the most happiness that makes you feel the most fulfilled and go in that direction. You have to follow your intuition.”
Everyone is unique and interesting in their own way and anyone can grab a camera and showcase their talents or point of views online. Yet, what makes this generation different, why is their social media presence so powerful, allowing them to create their own brands and careers out of their bedrooms with just a camera and a laptop? Perhaps tech-savvy knowledge is more common amongst those who have had iPhones and tablets in their hands since before they could even read. Another rationality is the fact that this generation is not afraid to be themselves and go against the norms in order to empower themselves and their peers, thus follow their intuition, as Stella mentioned.
The practice of the freedom of speech can be, of course, seen amongst other generations too, but the rise of the internet and social media platforms have created a new world; a digital space, where anyone can share their thoughts and words with others across the whole world. Uploading a YouTube video can reach someone all the way on the other side of the world, and this kind of communication has allowed ambitious Millennials like Stella Rae to create a community where self-love and core self-awareness can be learned. She dedicated herself to a career where she aspires other millennials to be brave and ambitious – to lead a positive life by taking care of their core essential needs, which is body and mind. The rest shall be figured out after these two needs are shown, love.
How to be YOU
“Honestly, just be yourself, always stay true to yourself, love yourself, love your body, love it for what it does for you, and just enjoy life,” says Stella with humble confidence. We all know that the
future can be stressful and the unknown anxiety-ridden. “We are human and we do have insecurities or worries or are sad or nostalgic about the past, stressed or excited about the future,” states Stella candidly. “I think what helps me is things like meditation and yoga, but just being outside, being around other people, being in nature too.”
“The future is a lot of excitement, is stressful, you never know what’s going to happen, and you can either look at that in a positive way, with excitement because who knows what will happen, what opportunities will arise. Or you can look at it like this is stressful, I don’t know what’s going to happen, will I find myself, will I find what I want, what I need. I think it’s just maintaining a balance between being realistic and going after what you want and believing in yourself,” says Stella. It is important to not get too caught up in our mistakes from the past or our worries for the future. We need to learn to take care of our bodies and minds not only by eating and exercising right but by reminding ourselves on a daily basis that we are living in the here and the now.
Believing in yourself. It is so easy to get caught up in the ‘shoulds’ – who we should be, what we should do. But at the end of the day, making others happy is not worth it if you yourself end up unhappy. You need to believe that you are the creator of your life. You are your own boss and you are liable for making this life one hell of a lifetime. Insecurities can always arise, but trusting and believing in yourself, that you are good enough and independent enough, can help you stay strong.
Being a YouTuber can be especially challenging in terms of being criticized. Vloggers showcase their lives, how they live, and what they do. Stella believes that you have to stay true to yourself, especially when choosing and sticking to a career. “People are going to criticize you no matter what, especially when you’re online. Even if you try to agree with everyone else, not cause any controversy, people are still going to hate on you.” You should never let hate get to you. People are opinionated, but only you live in your shoes, so as Stella says, “trying to meet other people’s expectations that aren’t true to you, it’s just not worth it.”
As a social media influencer, Stella Rae thinks that consistency with uploads and connecting with her viewers are the two most important factors. “People want someone to relate to and you also, as a creative figure, want someone to relate to you. You want to feel like you have like a community, versus just like my fans. I connect with them and we are on the same level like we are friends.”
Stella loves living life and traveling, learning and discovering, but if she can’t give back and share her lessons with others, it does not feel right for her. “I just hope to inspire people. To let them know that they are not alone no matter what they are going through.” Her excitement and energy throughout the interview illustrated the passion she feels for the journey she is on. Regardless of another’s judgment, this is about her staying true to herself and her fans. Self-discovery is a journey, college isn’t for everyone, being real and raw with yourself and your audience is important and last but not least, Stella tells you to “carb up, stay hydrated and take it all in. It’s hard to not be fully in the moment of feeling life so intensely with your friends or even just with yourself.”
You can see more of Stella Rae at her You Tube Site
