Ana Wolfermann appeared to have it all – a coveted status as a TikTok influencer with nearly 1 million followers, lucrative brand deals, and a life of lounging, traveling, and creating content on her schedule. Yet at just 23 years old, Indiana’s Notre Dame graduate told Forture that she has decided to walk away from the influencer career path and leave it all behind for a traditional 9-to-5 corporate job.

TikTok Star Ana Wolfermann Quits Influencing For 9-To-5 Job At 23 

Wolfermann’s following began taking off during her freshman year of college as she shared snapshots of her outfits, makeup looks for football tailgates, and nights out with friends. After graduating in 2022, she initially doubled down on growing her brand and influencing full-time, enticed by the income potential and perceived glamor of the career.

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However, within six months of going all-in on content creation, Wolfermann began having second thoughts. “I don’t think that I want my entire life to be about ‘how can I market my life?’” she said in an interview with Fortune. 

“My entire day became focused on what I was doing and what I had to say. That’s fine when you have something you’re excited to share, but because it was the constant thought in my head and my main focus, it just led me down a very narcissistic and anxious route.”

The self-centered nature of life as an influencer – with one’s activities, appearances, and opinions as the sole source of content – became an issue for the Venezuelan-born content maker. “You’ll ultimately become self-obsessed because you—what you’re doing, who you’re hanging out with, what you look like—become your priority. It’s a little dystopian,” she explained.

In addition to the mental strain, Wolfermann felt intense pressure to constantly create viral, engaging content to retain her audience and brand sponsorships. 

“TikTok requires you to post three videos a day,” she revealed and stressed the self-centered nature of content creation. “Imagine all day, every day you wake up and think about yourself.” For her, this led to unhappiness and frustration over insignificant details like lighting and background noise that could impact video quality and performance.

Given the significant income opportunities from influencing, Wolfermann does not expect to match her current earnings in a traditional corporate role – at least not immediately. Brand deals and sponsorships provided a hefty income stream by redirecting marketing budgets previously spent on commercial production.

However, the popular creator feels the tradeoff for a steadier work-life balance, consistent schedules, coworker relationships, and a renewed sense of purpose working towards team goals rather than personal branding is worthwhile. “I’m very excited to work for somebody else,” she stated. “When it’s all about me, it’s like, okay, this is my standard. But I’m very excited to learn new skills.”

The content creation skills and experience Wolfermann honed as an influencer – including time management, marketing, brand relationships, and a strong work ethic – are assets she hopes will aid her transition into corporate roles. The areas she’s interested in include digital marketing, social media management, and multimedia production.

Despite followers questioning why she would want to switch influencing flexibility and income for a traditional job, Wolfermann feels reinvigorated by her decision to step away from full-time content creation. “I’m a very optimistic person, so I think it’ll be a huge asset,” she said of her unique background.

After experiencing influencing’s excess firsthand, Wolfermann is confident a team-oriented, balanced work environment will allow her to thrive professionally beyond personal brand-building.