New media isn’t ideal as a primary career; it’s better suited as a side hustle.

According to the 2019 Monitoring Survey on the Citizenization of Migrant Workers, new-generation rural migrants earn an average monthly income of over 6,000 yuan, working an average of 5.8 days a week and 8.9 hours per day. Those with relevant technical certifications and sufficient work experience tend to earn even more.

In contrast, Newrank’s 2019 report on the livelihood of new media professionals revealed that 40% earned less than 5,000 yuan per month, while 32% earned between 5,000 and 10,000 yuan.
In other words, 72% of new media white-collar workers—most of whom have no fixed days off and have no concept of “clocking out”—make less than 10,000 yuan a month.

New media is not well-suited as a primary career, but works well as a side hustle.