I started YouTube for one reason. Ten years later, my reason for creating has changed.

I didn’t start YouTube with a business plan. About ten years ago, I started uploading videos while dealing with a life event.

That event had a big impact on how I felt then, and there are still days when I struggle with those emotions. Making videos gave me something to focus on. It gave me a reason to get outdoors, learn something new, and turn what I was learning into something I could share.

Today, at 55, my reason for creating has changed. YouTube after 50 has become part of a much bigger question: how do I build a future that gives me an income, room to travel, and time for photography?

I’m still figuring that out. This is where I am now, and why I keep going.

Why I Started Uploading to YouTube

In those early days, I was working, studying, and trying to make a living. YouTube was something I did alongside that.

I wasn’t thinking about becoming a full-time creator. I certainly didn’t have a plan for making money from videos. I wanted to get my mind off things, and I was interested in learning.

Photography was a big part of that. I enjoyed understanding cameras, trying different equipment, and finding out what I could do with it. I still love camera gear. Give me a chance to talk about a Hasselblad, and I’ll happily get distracted.

But there was more to learn than the equipment. I was exploring Adobe video editing, music, and how to tell a story. Recording footage was one thing. Turning it into a video that someone else might want to watch was another.

Uploading gave that learning a purpose. Instead of keeping everything to myself, I could share it.

Photography and Video Gave Me Something to Focus On

When you’re dealing with loss, having something practical to do can matter. For me, that was getting outdoors and creating.

There was a camera to understand, footage to edit, and a story to work out. Those things gave me somewhere to put my attention.

It didn’t mean the emotions disappeared. They didn’t. Even now, years later, I can still feel them.

But creating became part of my life. I could learn a skill, use it, and make something from it. That was enough of a reason to start, even without knowing where it might lead.

My Reason for Creating YouTube Videos Has Changed

The situation is different now.

After roughly two years without the income I needed, something changed in how I thought about my future. I began to feel that I would rather grow my own business than keep depending entirely on finding another role.

I have about 30 years of experience in technology. I’m well educated, and I’ve spent a large part of my life working and learning. Yet getting even a job interview has been difficult.

That is frustrating. It also makes me question what I want the next part of my working life to look like.

I no longer want to spend the years until retirement sitting behind a desk somewhere while putting everything else on hold. I want to travel and do photography in remote places while I have the opportunity and energy to enjoy them.

That doesn’t mean I’ve worked out how to pay for it all. It means my ambition has changed. I want to build something of my own.

YouTube After 50 Building Toward an Online Income

The bigger goal is to earn a living online through my two YouTube channels and have some freedom to travel.

On robjorg, I share this personal journey: creating, starting over, and trying to move forward. On robjorgIT, I share practical technology content.

Both are connected to things I know and enjoy. One gives me space to talk about life and the changes I’m trying to make. The other lets me use my technology experience to help people.

I don’t have a finished success story to present. I’m trying to turn the work I’m doing into an income, and the results are still developing.

That is part of what I want to share. The uncertainty belongs in the story as much as any progress does.

My $3,000 Challenge and Monthly Income Goal

At the time of recording, in the first week of October 2026, I was in week four of my 90-day $3,000 challenge.

It wasn’t going as well as I had expected. I had something lined up that might bring me about halfway toward the target by the end of October, but that was still a possibility rather than money already earned.

There are three goals behind what I’m doing:

1. Earn $3,000 by the end of November 2026 to get my teeth fixed.
2. Build toward $2,500 a month in 2027 as the income baseline I described in the video for paying my bills.
3. Rebuild my retirement finances over the longer term.

The first goal is immediate. The second is about making everyday life sustainable. The third is a much bigger concern, and it will take more than one successful video or one good month to address it.

I also want to share earnings updates from both channels. That will let me show what is actually happening, rather than only talking about what I hope will happen.

Starting Over at 55 Comes With Real Worries

I can smile on camera and still be worried underneath.

In the video, I described it as laughing on the outside while crying on the inside. That is how this situation can feel. There is ambition, but there is also financial pressure and concern about my retirement.

With so much work experience behind me, I didn’t expect to find myself struggling to get an interview. It is difficult to make sense of that when you know you still have something to offer.

Creating videos gives me something I can keep working on. I can use what I know, continue learning, and put something useful out into the world.

I can’t promise where that will lead. But it gives me a direction at a time when I need one.

Why I Keep Creating

Ten years ago, uploading videos helped me focus on something while dealing with loss. Today, I also see it as a possible way to build a business and regain some control over my future.

The learning is still there. So are photography, technology, and the enjoyment of making something. What has changed is the importance of earning an income from it.

I want to keep creating because I still have things to share. I want to travel, take photographs, and build a life that leaves room for those interests. And I need to find a way to support that life financially.

Near the end of the video, I said that I hope I can help myself by helping you. That is probably the clearest way to describe what I’m trying to do.

If you’re also creating YouTube videos after 50, or thinking about starting, I’d be interested to hear your reason. Is it learning, sharing your experience, building an income, or something more personal?

You can follow my journey on YouTube at @robjorg, explore my practical technology videos on @robjorgIT, and find more of my work at robjorg.com.