All that said, is having a tertiary education still relevant then? Do you need to pursue a tertiary education to be a social media influencer? 

Well, while it’s not necessary nor a requirement for you to possess any form of credentials to start your very first Tiktok video, having some knowledge and skills certainly help. For instance, if your niche is in showing how to take professional videos, having a background in mass communication or broadcasting will be useful. It was found that 76.8% of content creators do hold a bachelor's degree and at least 7.1% of content creators possess master's degrees.

Besides, if you’re planning to give advice pertaining to mental health, nutrition, or generally any field that requires specialised knowledge, you should have a certification or degree specialising in the field to be qualified to produce content about the topics. This is especially important so that your audience will perceive your content as credible and return for more.

Now you may be wondering, which field of study would come in handy to propel you towards stardom — a successful social media influencer. While we can’t determine which programme is the most helpful, here are some of our top favourite influencers in Malaysia and what they’ve studied!

1. Jenn Chia: Psychology and Communications

I’m sure many of you are familiar with our favourite yet loud Aunty Siow with unmistakable bright pink hair, an alter ego character that Jenn Chia often portrays in her content. With over 400,000 followers on Instagram, Jenn Chia is certainly a recognised social media influencer known for her creative content direction that often ends with an unexpected twist. In an interview with Maggy Wang, Jenn revealed that it was through a communication class presentation in college that sparked her interest in creating video and content!

2. Ivor Lim Xian Z: Law

Ivor Xian Z or basically the girl who ‘tries everything so you don’t have to’ has garnered fame on Tiktok with more than 350,000 followers to date by creating content of her trying out something new. You’ll instantly recognise her video just by her signature tagline ‘Trying XYZ so you don’t have to’. While being a content creator for social media seems like a huge leap from law, Ivor has used her knowledge in law when dealing with late-paying clients. I guess her background in law proves helpful afterall.

3. Nandini Balakrishnan: Mass Communication and Media Studies

Known for her bold and bubbly personality, Nandini has been breaking boundaries on social media with her videos dispelling myths and stereotypes of those discriminated in Malaysia. One of her most famed videos include, ‘5 Reasons Why You Should Never Comment on People’s Skin Colour’. However, Nandini hasn’t always been in the spotlight. An interview with The Sun revealed that before becoming an online personality, Nandini started off writing articles mainly about politics and marginalised community which can be attributed to her background in mass media.

4. Khairul Aming: Mechanical Engineering

Khairul Amin or aka Khairul Aming is best known for his cooking videos that has seen many viral episodes especially during Ramadan. He also produces sambal nyet, a highly in-demand sambal that has sold a million bottles to date and he’s now opened a second factory for production. He learned much about manufacturing during his studies with a minor in material science. It was also during his time at uni that he bought his first DSLR and began his interest in photography and videography before he began creating content for social media.