Top lifestyle jobs kids in this generation are opting for

 hobbies and what used to be past-time activities now making the young entrepreneurs become wealthy

The other day, a 19-year-old ran out of his father’s home after they disagreed on his career prospects. He is an aspiring veejay. His father wants him to be a teacher.

“I can make what a teacher makes in one month within hours. I was born to be a veejay. This is 2017. Period,” he insisted and left, leaving his rich Dad stunned.

Aside from the conventional career jobs that used to be the pride of a family during get-togethers, Pulsers have found a way of life in their hobbies and what used to be past-time activities now making the young entrepreneurs become wealthy.

Here are some of the top lifestyle jobs the millennials are opting for:

Blogging

Blogging mainly entails regularly updating a blog. For James Wamathai who has been running a lifestyle blog about Kenya, www.hapakenya.com, for five years now, successful blogging is one of the great alternative way to earn a sustainable living. “Blogging has changed from journals or diary-like formats to online media houses where readers go to get content,” he says.

He reckons that young people looking for independence and employment are finding creative ways like this to make a living.

“Setting up a blog is easy. All you need to have is passion for writing about your subject matter. You also need to be consistent and relevant,” he notes. According to the blogger whose background is finance, one can earn between Sh50,000 and Sh500,000 every month from blogging depending on how popular one’s platform is.

For video blogger- or vlogger- Jayson Mbogo who has been running www.jaytakeapic.com, a lifestyle blog focusing on food for the past two years, he believes that there are many opportunities for one to make a living from video content.

Besides the blog, Jay works in digital advertising but his blogging is now starting to pay off.

“Approximately, one can make Sh300,000 a quarter from music blogging. Jobs are hard to find so many millennials today are taking a chance to become entrepreneurs and create jobs themselves. This is fantastic because the universe is connected and everything is now within our means. We just have to believe in ourselves,” Jay explains.

Veejaying/ Deejaying

Even writing these words these way could be unacceptable before a past generation. But...enter the millenials!

A veejay or deejay mixes recorded music or videos as its playing on TV or radio or other media for example a screen during events.

DJ Krich is one such mixer. He has been in the industry for about eight years and plays at Club Tribeka and Rafikiz, both in Nairobi. To become a professional, one needs to have passion, an interest and be a fast-learner as well as consistent training for about five years. You can earn at least Sh35,000 to Sh50,000 per event depending on your popularity. “I now want to become my own boss. I am getting into music and video production. Some extra perks come in when brands ask me to promote their brand on my social media avenues or screens in the club and that makes me extra cash. I believe that millennials are getting into these careers because there is no joy or comfort from employment,” he notes.

The fashionista

This is someone who is a devoted follower of fashion or one who writes about fashion. Because of her huge following on her fashion blog www.luciamusau.com, Lucia Musau is one of the most sought-after influencers in Kenya not only in the fashion industry but also in other commercial and corporate fields. Brands such as Hennessy, Safaricom, Google, Tecno, Lux, Blueband and M-net have contracted her to promote their brands.

Lucia just completed her Masters in Marketing and previously studied Business Management at the University of Nairobi (UoN).

“I blog because it is worth-while,” she offers. She believes that education is also important in this industry because her background in marketing ensures she has a good understanding of what brands need and want.

Make- up artist cum beauty educator

A make- up artist is an artist whose medium is the human body whereby he or she uses make-up for visual effects on various media. Since 2014, Williy Collins Mbogo has been working as both a make-up artist and beauty educator.

Some of his high profile clients include Eve D’souza, Sheila Mwanyiga and Betty Kyalo among others. He previously worked at KTN as a make-up artiste.

He is now self-employed and enjoys the flexibility it affords him. At the moment he is training with Lytons.

“One of the most important skill to have in the service industry is people skills. Education is important but you learn more through experience. I can make from Sh5,000 to Sh40,000 per session depending on the service or number of people.

Fitness Trainer

This is a certified professional with the knowledge of fitness instruction with the aim of help clients reach their health, fitness or lifestyle goals.

Many celebrities take on fitness training to help them keep in shape. Fitness Consultant and Hill Park’s Health Club manager Silah Otieno was part of the group that started the popular TV show, Slimpossible. He has trained celebrities like Lilian Muli, Amani and others in public offices. Silah says fitness trainers can earn a minimum of between Sh3,000 and Sh7,000 per session.

Video Vixen/Socialite

A video vixen is a female who appears in music videos while a socialite is a well-known fashionable person who appears in social and entertainment events. While Risper Faith has been both a video vixen and a socialite in the past, today she is using her huge fan-base to sell booty poppers. She is now identified as a business woman and social media influencer who is her own brand. Additionally, she runs her Liquorice Liquour Store off Lang’ata Road’s One Stop Plaza.

“I have to ensure that I use my social media following to bring clients to any establishment I work with in order to increase the sales,” she explains.

To host an event, Risper asks for not less than 1,000 USD (Sh102,390) locally and 3,000 USD (Sh308,700) abroad. This is excluding hotel, transport and security.

Like many other people in these careers, she has been employed before. However, she prefers to be her own boss so she can travel the world and still make money. She believes some of the skills that ensured her legacy were that she was a people’s person. “Of course I know that my body is an asset. However, I also know that I have a great personality,” she added.

Her advice to millennials is to find out what one is good at and focus on that by putting in time and effort. Do what you can to pay your bills. “If you wait to be employed, you still won’t get your worth,” she reckons.

Dancing

Stan is a dance instructor who specialises in Latin-Afro dances such as Kizomba. He has been doing this since 2005. He hosts Kizomba Night every Thursday and Sunday at 24/7 in Nairobi.

He did not go to dance school but instead learnt by picking things here and there over the years. Teaching dance, he says, is one of the easiest ways of succeeding in the industry as long as you know your target group. However, there are many more opportunities such as corporate events, teaching couples who are about to get married, hosting events among many others.

As a dance instructor, you can make Sh1,500 per person per session.

Besides dance, Stan is also a musician with one album already out. He plays with his Brown Music Band at Treehouse every last Thursday of the month.

Social media influencer

This is a social media user who has established credibility and a large audience that he can persuade in a specific industry. According to Samuel Mbugua of Buggz Media, a social media influencer raises awareness and influences opinion and perception.

Samuel specialises in fast moving consumer goods, investment and financial products and insurance companies and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. He chooses not to disclose the names of the specific brands he has worked with.

“You can make a minimum of Sh5,000 and Sh500,000 per campaign depending on what is required,” he says.

Samuel attributes his success as a great influencer to constantly reading a lot in order to learn all there is about a brand and how to handle each situation.