My Philosophy
I have always used YouTube since its beginning. I had a generic channel, if you can call it that, which was basically just whatever random stuff I uploaded over the years, but with no theme. More recently I've created a handful of focused, themed channels. Unfortunately, working a regular job seven days a week and being a full-time parent as well means little time for any projects, and YouTube is just one of many.
I feel like I have an uncommon philosophy with YouTube, however. I may be misremembering, but in the early days I don't recall you spending ten percent of your time watching ads. It was more like "Hey, check out my trip to the zoo." I don't want monetized. I don't want everyone to sit through ads so I might one day make a few cents. For me, it's just a labor or love and I'd just be happy for someone to watch. I don't want anyone's ad revenue; just someone to view and hopefully to be entertained for a bit.
Even if I one day had an explosion of viewers, I can't imagine me wanting ad dollars. For me, that's not what it's about. I just want to entertain people.
https://youtube.com/@askyeti?si=j2IyLXmCX0O-3w4i