How Pokimane Persuaded Her Parents to Let Her Stream Full-Time Using PowerPoint
3 min read
Twitch sensation Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys recently shared a unique story about how she convinced her parents to allow her to quit college and pursue a full-time career in streaming. Despite her now being the most-followed woman on Twitch and a prominent figure in the streaming community, getting her parents’ approval wasn’t easy.
Before becoming a household name on Twitch, Pokimane was a college student pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering. Two years into her studies, she faced a pivotal moment where she had to decide between continuing her education or diving headfirst into her streaming career. Understanding that her traditional parents might struggle to see the viability of streaming as a career, she decided to use a familiar tool to make her case: PowerPoint.
Pokimane put together a detailed PowerPoint presentation to illustrate to her parents why streaming was a more profitable and sustainable path for her than completing her degree. “I was like, ‘Hear me out,’” she recounted. Using her hands to mimic a rising graph line, she explained, “I did a PowerPoint. I was like, ‘Look at my income. It’s doing this.’” She then demonstrated a downward slope with her arms to represent her college debt. “So I was like, ‘Let me save up for one year. Let me just do this for one year.’ Never went back.”
Despite presenting a compelling case backed by financial data, Pokimane admitted that her mother was still skeptical of her career choice. For the first few years of her streaming career, her mother frequently asked when she would return to school. However, Pokimane’s continued success and accomplishments in the streaming world eventually silenced those doubts. “And then you do some big sh*t and then they’re like, ‘Okay, we’ll stop asking,’” she added.
Pokimane shared this anecdote during a live stream with fellow streamers QTCinderella and JasonTheWeen, who is also an aspiring full-time streamer. Addressing Jason’s parents, Pokimane offered some advice, emphasizing that traditional education would always be an option if needed. “Mama Nguyen, just know that school will always be there,” she said. “Your son is doing big things. Let him drop out, just for a little. Maybe not forever.”
QTCinderella humorously added, “Those school streams would hit,” highlighting the unique content that could come from balancing school and streaming.
JasonTheWeen, who recently joined FaZe Clan following its restructuring, seems to have strong support from prominent streamers like Pokimane, as he navigates his own journey in the online entertainment world. With big names backing him, he appears poised to make significant strides in his streaming career, much like Pokimane did after her PowerPoint presentation years ago.
Shivam Kumar
Hi, I'm Shivam Kumar. I'm pursuing Journalism honors from the IP University. I love the skill of writing and looking forward to learn more of it. Also I love traveling and experiencing new things every day....
