Making the adult industry your career
So here's a little about me. I'm 18, I started right when I turned 18 still in high school. I'm out of school now with no intention of going to college. I could always learn a trade but nothing right now is of interest. I hated school, barely passed etc. so I know right now it's not even worth a second thought.
As far as my job now everything is going great. I really take it serious and people have even told me bout that. It's something about the atmosphere that just makes everything click. I love the girls I work with, one of my roommates is a dancer I met.
Now, like I said. I'm 18 so I know a lot could change and probably will. I know I'll probably be doing something different 5 years from now but that got me thinking. what if I'm still doing it? If I still enjoy the business I could do it a little longer.
I met a woman who started at 18 and is now 44 years old and still does it part-time and guys love her! She does camming now and even does an amateur site which really does her well.
Now, I'm not saying that will be me but just an example of how it does work for some.
I want to venture out and try a lot in the adult business. Def thinking of getting into camming soon. I've thought of going in adult films and even got asked by some guys who work for one but want to hold off on that for a little bit since dancing is going so well and I'm still only 18.
So please don't worry about lecturing me about how so much will change. I know! But my reason for posting was to see if it has worked for any of you fellow ladies or if anybody else also would be happy if they did it for a very long time.
Re: Making the adult industry your career
Having a career in the adult biz is difficult because of the lack of consistency.
You'd better have saving in the slow times because when it rains it pours! No one tell you that when you enter the biz; you think you'll make an easy million every day.
Re: Making the adult industry your career
For girls who are willing to put furth a 'serious full time' effort, dancing can be a complete career in and of itself. It IS possible to start dancing at age 20 and retire from any sort of income producing work at age 40 for the rest of your life. But doing so requires discipline ... discipline regarding work ethic, discipline regarding saving and investing, and discipline regarding 'personal maintenance' !
Re: Making the adult industry your career
Work, make money, save money. Enjoy being 18 (and 19, 20, 21) without thinking too hard about where you'll be in 30 years.
Re: Making the adult industry your career
hey doll. i've been in the adult biz for 8 years. personally i don't recommend doing hardcore p0rn to girls. i push for solo sites and i specialize in that niche. feel free to hit me up.
Re: Making the adult industry your career
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People just don't have money to spend on strippers and if they do why would they want to spend that on a lap dance when they can pay a bit more for full service.
That's arguably true for California. Fortunately, it's not necessarily true in every part of the US, or the world !
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Enjoy being 18 (and 19, 20, 21) without thinking too hard about where you'll be in 30 years
While I understand your sentiment, two inescapable facts come into play where exotic dancing as a career is concerned. The first is that, like professional athletes, professional exotic dancers have a relatively short window of opportunity to take advantage of maximum earnings potential. The second is the 'time value of money' i.e. money earned and saved early in life generates far more passive income than money earned and saved later. Thus if a professional dancer were to follow your suggestion, and for discussion's sake pass up say $25k a year in additional dancing earnings potential during those four years ( = $100k ) because she chose to 'have fun' instead of working, 20 years down the road she would have $100k * 1.04 ^ 19 or somewhere around $200,000 fewer dollars to retire on !
Re: Making the adult industry your career
I've kinda made it a career so far. Been doing it since I was 18. Almost 10 years now. It's all I really know. I was never fan of school. I work hard to keep my body in decent shape and do my best for my looks. I still feel I got a good 5-6 years but who knows after that. I know some 40's year olds dancing and they look great!
Re: Making the adult industry your career
It can be a long term career, for sure. I've been in the biz since 1998, and don't intend on quitting any time soon. I don't dance any longer, but I now have a booking agency and work in the cash cage of a strip club.
You should make plans just in case you can't dance forever for any reason. I had to quit dancing in 2007 because of arthritis in my feet made spending hours on my feet impossible.
Always have a plan "b" but you can certainly make this a career if you want to.
Re: Making the adult industry your career
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Originally Posted by
XxChrissyxX
I've thought of going in adult films and even got asked by some guys who work for one but want to hold off on that for a little bit since dancing is going so well and I'm still only 18.
So please don't worry about lecturing me about how so much will change. I know! But my reason for posting was to see if it has worked for any of you fellow ladies or if anybody else also would be happy if they did it for a very long time.
Camming and dancing are one thing but porn is in really bad shape. Number of films produced is down and how much they are paying is plummeting. There are plenty of women who have made a career out of it but just like any other form of entertainment you have to live below your means and hod onto all the money you can.
Re: Making the adult industry your career
Hey I started around 19. I am now almost 26. That said when I started I was in my first year of university. Now I have a BA in Psych as well as a few other small dipolmas/certs (I have a EMS dispatcher course, customer service apprenticeship and a level 5 RCM violin).
I have been dancing on and off for the past 6 years. I have a very transient personality so dancing really suits me. I also have done porn, escorting and webcamming. I have also done a lot of fetish stuff.
I have worked in CSR positions for companies like Tmobile, GM, and Bell. I have also worked as an EMS dispatcher, i.e. a 911 operator.
I loved school and was a straight A student in high school. I am pretty "straight laced" for the most part and most people would never guess that I am in the adult line of work too!
I am trying to eventually make my money off music, but that may be a few years down the road. I play classical violin. But musically I am very interested in everything from industrial (think NIN, Marilyn Manson, Tool, KMFDM) to underground hip hop.
An artist that I am very inspired by is Miri Ben Ari, the hip hop violinist. Here is one of her songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM5MmqoUGag
Re: Making the adult industry your career
so youre 18 now and started when you were 18?
when i started dancing for the first year i too thought this is awesome, so much money, love the girls, could do this forever.
then the bad nights, shit customers, poor management, trashy girls, cheap nights came.
and i totally changed my mind. easy money is easy to be sucked into.
i say work and save for awhile but i dont think you have been dancing long enough to make that kind of decision for your life. i hope it works out for you but if it doesnt, its good to have a trade or a diploma or something just in case.
if you still feel that way in 2-5 years, i suggest you take melonie's advice, and be very disciplined with working, saving and investing.
Re: Making the adult industry your career
I would recommend saving money to start. You can invest some of your money in your first couple years of dancing, but don't go overboard because our economy isn't stable right now and if your investments fall through you still need cash to fall back on.
No matter how much you enjoy dancing it is impractical to not go to school, learn a trade, or have a secondary plan. If you become disfigured in an accident or become psychologically unable to dance then you have to have a way out. You can't just assume that you'll feel the way you do now in 5 years. If you are going to be a career dancer it will require a good 20 years of dancing, saving, and investing your money so that you can retire successfully and live off of your passive income--much like Melonie did.
I would advise that you start training for SOMETHING that you can use outside of the strip club industry. You need to have some skills to use in the future. If you never use them then that's fine, but a lot of career strippers have taken a few years off in their decades long careers to pursue other avenues of employment.
You can always go back to stripping, but you can never leave stripping and land a job with the same flexibility, pay, and cash "bonus" if you don't prepare. Your chances of the latter are slim to none without forethought.
Re: Making the adult industry your career
OP, I don't want to sound condescending but you haven't been in the business long enough to decide this should be a career for you. You are still very young and as you age things may change.
When I first started and even into the first couple of years I decided I too would make it a career. After all I was making more money than I would have at a straight job and working less hours too. So for these years I danced full time along with modeling. I was so sure I would be a career dancer and I was making plans to get into porn and be a "name". However, after a few years something in me snapped and I realized making this a career was not a good idea for me. My eyes starting opening to the negatives like the customers, the managers and people in general. I saw guys in real life reject me because of this or think I was a whore. I saw so many sad things happen in the business, from drug addiction to terrible relationships to even death. I realized for me it was not a career. I then went part time for a few years while I got a job in my field.
Completely agree with Laurisa about training for something else as well. While I admire career dancers like Melonie and Paris, be advised there are also career dancers who you don't want to be like. I danced with a few women who were getting too old to dance yet had no other skills. One of them was a featured dancer even. They ended up working in a dive and at least one of them resorted to tricks. I knew I didn't want to end up like them. You can say you wouldn't end up like them but you never know. You could manage to save a lot of money and be successful but you could also end up getting into drugs or spending money foolishly. You could end up getting hurt or getting pregnant then what?
My advice is to dance but also look into training as well. While you may end up being a successful career dancer you may not.
Re: Making the adult industry your career
I made a career in the adult biz without even planning it and it has brought me a life, lifestyle and experiences for the good and bad, that I would otherwise would have never had doing the "normal" 9-5 job.
I started 2 days after my 18th birthday to leave my dysfunctional home. Yes, I was still in high school, with low grades but found dancing to save me. It took one person to open my eyes that dancing was a temporary solution to my current problem, so I went to college to have a backup plan. And it worked! I'm still dancing (15years later, and camming now too) but I have no fear if I wanted to walk away from it all! I love the adult biz and will milk it until I'm married with kids or old(whichever comes first! LOL) and then I'll retire into what I pursued in college.
My best advice for you is milk this billion dollar business! But also have your BACKUP plan too! Good luck! xoxo DD
Re: Making the adult industry your career
I started a month after I turned 18. I knew when I was 17 that I wanted to dance. Over 15 years later here I am. I have been at it on and off for that long. I could do it part time and still make it bc I live frugally now. That is one of the most excellent pieces of advice bc I wasnt always doing so. Live below your means and save!!!
I am not a great example like Melonie I made my mistakes and learned the hard way. One of the worst side effects from dancing is that it hardens u and yes many men and people in society view any female that chooses to dance as a "whore". You dont see this right away at 18. I didnt I was naiive at 18. Extremely.
I knew from the beginning that I would do this until I was in my 30s and then transition out. I am about to finish my two degrees although they rnt much to brag about but that is def something. But I will not be graduating with any debt.
You can definitely bank in this business just like many girls here have said SAVE while u r young bc there are going to be down times when u can barely make it. When ur young and fresh everyone wants to tip u ur fresh meat. But after a while that may change. Be sure to take very good care of yourself. Thats my best piece of advice.
Re: Making the adult industry your career
Also on the poll there shouldve been an option for "I have made it a career but I neither hate it nor like" it lol..Im in the middle of the road about how I feel..Some days Im good with it and others Im not..Thats why a middle of the road option would be a good idea..as I chose the "Other" option