Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 39

Thread: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

  1. #1
    Banned i.breathe.in's Avatar
    Joined
    Sep 2006
    Location
    ohio
    Posts
    4,967
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Lightbulb how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    Mods i am hoping this could be made into a sticky, if this is not the place for it, please feel free to move it or delete it if there is already a thread for this but i feel this would be a valuable thread to those that are lookign to quit who have been int he game for a long time.

    Former dancers, can you please give advice, tips, or any relevant information on how to transition ou of dancing into a regular job (be it retail, or higher positions and everything in between).

    I have been dancing for 6 years and would love info on how to make a smooth transition out of dancing, though i am not ready yet. i know many other girls wanting out of the buisness as well but feel stuck.

    what has worked for you, or do you wish you would have done differently?
    Last edited by i.breathe.in; 05-30-2008 at 01:39 PM.

  2. #2
    God/dess ahmeerah's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Center of the World.
    Posts
    3,128
    Thanks
    66
    Thanked 82 Times in 51 Posts
    My Mood
    Breezy

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    An easy job to get into after stripping is teaching stripteaze classes at gyms or getting into personal training. So many trainers I've known over the years have stripped in the past.

  3. #3
    God/dess
    Joined
    Jul 2005
    Posts
    4,704
    Thanks
    3
    Thanked 8 Times in 8 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    I'm not done with dancing, but I've been on hiatus for about two months after getting fired from my favorite club. I can go back of course, and I'm sure I will this summer. But for now I'm stretching my legs in the 'real world'.
    The transition wasn't ideal. I will eventually stop dancing for good, but the timing was all wrong. I really wanted to get through college first and have a good savings tucked away.
    Also, I realize now that I must have looked like a whore during my interview and during training because I hadn't yet adjusted my makeup and wardrobe. At the club it seems so normal to wear half a tube of eyeliner/mascara/lip gloss and dust on sparkly bronzer. And I was seriously thinking showing cleavage would get me the job. Luckily my hustling experience made me good at selling myself, so I got the job, but I remember seeing myself in the mirror in the florescent-lit bathroom thinking I looked very out of place.
    And I wasn't ready to work 8 hours and walk out the door without a dollar. That was just weird. I've worked 'normal' jobs before, but not since 2004. And even then, I was a bartender making a weekly check and tips, so it's not like I didn't see a cash on a daily basis. It's an adjustment on how I pay my bills and how I set up my savings. And shopping. And I have my real nails now which drives me crazy.
    Okay, I'm sure there's more, but you didn't want a novel.

  4. #4
    Banned i.breathe.in's Avatar
    Joined
    Sep 2006
    Location
    ohio
    Posts
    4,967
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    actually, i think that you should post as much as you want on the subject! all information could be helpful to someone.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Passenger's Avatar
    Joined
    Aug 2007
    Posts
    136
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    Oh wow...that's a tough one. For me the best way to get out of dancing was not to go cold turkey so to speak. I left the club, and started waiting tables/cocktailing/bartending at a local restaurant (a couple of them actually).


    This served me well in several ways. 1) I wasn't shocking my system with the schedule change. I still worked late nights at times, but progressively moved more and more into working days only. 2) I still had cash on hand every day, but also got a (minimal) paycheck. When I got paid, I would take my tips and deposit the majority of them with my paycheck. 3) It was still fun. It would have been incredibly difficult for me to go from the party atmosphere of the strip club into a buttoned up office....I personally needed to work the party out of my lifestyle on my own time table, rather than on that of an employer.

    Over the course of about a year I got the dancing mostly out of my system, felt like I'd had more than my fair share of late nights, got used to using a debit card over cash and being on a stricter budget, got comfortable using my own name again instead of my stage name, and finally moved on to a really real world job.

    There is still a part of me that is always going to want to get on the stage though....I miss the sparkly outfits and the super sexy high heels. I miss the feeling that you are part of a club that not everyone gets to join...that sort of outlaw comraderie between the dancers/staff in the club. Frankly there are a ton of things I miss, but just as many that I unequivocally don't miss....in the end those things that I don't miss are what made the transition stick.
    Stripping was my Mr. Big....the best bad relationship I ever had.

  6. #6
    God/dess
    Joined
    Jul 2005
    Posts
    4,704
    Thanks
    3
    Thanked 8 Times in 8 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    ^I miss being able to have a fucking cocktail an cigarette when someone pisses me off. At my job now, I have to maintain a professional and polite attitude and I can never have someone removed from the premisis because I just don't like them. I'm not as spoiled.

  7. #7
    Senior Member Passenger's Avatar
    Joined
    Aug 2007
    Posts
    136
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    ^^No kidding!! Believe me, I feel you on that one....I encounter people on a daily basis whom I would love to tell to fuck off, but I have to be pleasant and professional as well.
    Stripping was my Mr. Big....the best bad relationship I ever had.

  8. #8
    Senior Member
    Joined
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    132
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 13 Times in 9 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    Just that you are open to ideas and brainstorming is really great. What we do (jobs/dancing experience, etc.) is so individual that there is a different way of getting out of dancing for everyone, but it does help to hear experiences.

    First of all, you have to consider finances. Be brutally honest, as you might want to dance a day or so a week as you transition into a regular job. Get used to changing your lifestyle a bit, most likely. Now is a good time, since you're not alone...a lot of people are hurting in this economy, and so not with the financial options they once had (sadly).

    You might want to look into quicker degrees, likely at a community college. I'm a nurse (BSN), and there are people who spent half what I did, and spent less time, getting their RN at a community college. They make only slightly less than I do (some places same salary as BSN). You have to find your own interest re career, but just an example. Community college grads often earn more starting out because they have a trade. Also, you might be motivated to dance if you have an end-purpose in mind (two years, etc., have a date of quitting dancing helps). You could also get financial aide, depending on the amount income you claim from dancing.

    Also, volunteer work is great for helping your resume if you aren't with credible references. It's quite a shock to find out all that dancing "takes" from us in the way of being competitive in the "real world". If we consider lack of 401k matches, health insurance, experience and references, relative job security, and getting on the "ladder" for career movement (even if it's at the bottom to start), then we can see that we earn every bit that we should be earning as strippers.

    Good luck to you.

  9. #9
    God/dess anomar's Avatar
    Joined
    Jun 2005
    Posts
    2,373
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    I danced for two years (21-23) and now I have an office job. I actually love it - it work for an alternative newspaper in town with a very casual office and amazing benefits (everything from up a month of vacation time to really, really good coffee in the morning and the ability to take 2 hour lunches).

    Basically, the entire time I was dancing I was doing other stuff for free. I was an office assistant for a major music festival. Volunteer organizer for an arts festival. I stood around at the local science museum 8 hours a week answering questions for tourists. Just things I could put on my resume, but that I wasn't super committed to since I wasn't being paid. I told all of those positions that I was a waitress and never was able to come in until noon, since I often closed down the bar.

    Eventually dancing made me unhappy. With a college degree and no particular ambition. Lots and lots and lots and lots of drinking. Spending money on house fee, some on intoxicants, lots of booze. It got dark.

    I went to Guam for 10 weeks to dance. Detoxed out of everything but alcohol. Worked my ASS off. Spent a lot of time by myself on the beach, reading good books, thinking about where I was in life and what I wanted to do with myself. Made enough money so that I could come back to Portland and take my time deciding what to do next.

    When I got back I got a part time paying job (10 hours/week) working marketing for a woman's clothing line. Wasn't much money but it was a real paycheck. I found it because she posted a request in the LiveJournal for Portland. She also went to the same college as I did, so she really liked me.

    Then one day I was reading the paper and I saw a help wanted ad -- someone to manage/sell all of their classifieds and their escort listings. I actually was able to put 'entertainer, 2005-2007' and list my clubs and talk about my sales experience. They called the next day for an interview. I've been here four months!

    So I guess it's pretty divine that I got a job where the fact that I've danced for so long was a big benefit. But yeah, the general arc of it was --

    *always doing 'extra-curricular' stuff during the day while dancing... I found all of those things in the 'volunteer' or 'gigs' section of CL

    *keeping a resume... find a friend to help you make one if you don't already have one

    *realizing when I wanted to wind down and also aggressively making money so I didn't need to dance for a while

    *getting a very basic part time job

    *transitioning from that job into a full-time job (it is a LOT easier to get hired to a job if you already have one)

  10. #10
    Featured Member xoxoGracexoxo's Avatar
    Joined
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    1,936
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 32 Times in 26 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    ^^I second a lot of that above.

    There are a lot of things you can do to make transitioning easier. Things I'm glad I did:

    *Save money. Wish I'd saved even more, but glad I have a month's rent, bills, and expenses covered, so I'm not in a desperate hurry to find other work.

    *Stay somewhat involved in my non-dancing career. Dancing actually gave me a lot of opportunities to work on stuff I loved, and that looks good on a resume, rather than just something that would pay me a check. So I don't have a huge employment gap to worry about.

    *Networking. I also stayed somewhat involved in professional groups in my industry, so if I want to start looking for freelance projects, I have some connections to call on. (I'm actually going out for cocktails next week with some friends and friends of friends, one of whom is a Big Deal kinda in what I do...maybe something there.)

    I'll edit when I think of more. There are also things I wish I'd done differently...I'll add those too.

  11. #11
    God/dess VegasPrincess's Avatar
    Joined
    Aug 2006
    Location
    MKE
    Posts
    4,660
    Thanks
    2
    Thanked 182 Times in 40 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    My biggest fear is this: how do I explain the three years I've been out of college? I've been dancing the whole time, and I'm sorry, I really am not comfortable putting that down on a resume... so what are my options? If I don't put down dancing, the only other shit I could put down is like six months of bartending, which wont help explain the other two and a half years....
    Sexy Jasmine after getting fucked over at work:

    God loves strippers and when guys do things like that its an automatic ticket to HELL!


    Quote Originally Posted by anomar View Post
    Perhaps you stopped spending money on her. Strippers need money to operate. They are like coin operated juke-boxes of love.

  12. #12
    God/dess Lysondra's Avatar
    Joined
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Another Country
    Posts
    18,664
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 148 Times in 100 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    I would assume a main part of transitioning out smoothly would be to start out knowing that fact. You're going to have to escape and the way out from day one should be on your mind. Whether it's going to school or having a tiny job to keep your resume a bit fatter, you should really be keeping it in mind from day one. As well as saving as much as you can for the 'jolt' of transition.


    Look like a woman
    Think like a man
    Act like a lady
    Work like a dog

    - My Great Grandmother Bessie's Recipe for Success

  13. #13
    God/dess Lysondra's Avatar
    Joined
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Another Country
    Posts
    18,664
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 148 Times in 100 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    Quote Originally Posted by VegasPrincess View Post
    My biggest fear is this: how do I explain the three years I've been out of college? I've been dancing the whole time, and I'm sorry, I really am not comfortable putting that down on a resume... so what are my options? If I don't put down dancing, the only other shit I could put down is like six months of bartending, which wont help explain the other two and a half years....
    If this were the case, I'd say I was backpacking across Europe taking odd jobs for ol lady's cheese shops and things. What are they gonna do, call Italy? But that should really honestly be a last resort.


    Look like a woman
    Think like a man
    Act like a lady
    Work like a dog

    - My Great Grandmother Bessie's Recipe for Success

  14. #14
    God/dess VegasPrincess's Avatar
    Joined
    Aug 2006
    Location
    MKE
    Posts
    4,660
    Thanks
    2
    Thanked 182 Times in 40 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    ^^^

    Heheh, good call there!! Cheese shops. They'd believe it too, what with the Wisconsin and all.

    I agree it should be a last resort, sadly, until my recent birthday, I was in denial of the fact that I wouldn't be able to be in this industry forever...ugh. You're right I should start looking for a very part time job to build a resume...
    Sexy Jasmine after getting fucked over at work:

    God loves strippers and when guys do things like that its an automatic ticket to HELL!


    Quote Originally Posted by anomar View Post
    Perhaps you stopped spending money on her. Strippers need money to operate. They are like coin operated juke-boxes of love.

  15. #15
    Veteran Member
    Joined
    Apr 2008
    Location
    MA
    Posts
    323
    Thanks
    15
    Thanked 14 Times in 10 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    Hmm I think it would help if you start an easy/enjoyable job while you're still dancing, and simultaneously cut down your dancing hours. You'll do both at the same time for a short while, and slowly transition into a regular job by cutting out dancing when you're ready. That's how I usually go from job to job.

  16. #16
    God/dess
    Joined
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Your imagination
    Posts
    2,875
    Thanks
    19
    Thanked 174 Times in 119 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    try looking into working for defense contractors. they hire a disproportionate share of very attractive women. see also high-end software sales. companies still have plenty of cash to throw at consultant-ware.

    also, executive recruiting. again, no shortages of executives and the pay is pretty darn nice.

    just look into fields where women with excellent makeup/clothes/looks are a significant fraction of the ones hired on and try getting into those fields. you can quite often make superstripper money and keep your clothes on and still have a decent amount of freedom with setting your hours in many of the categories i just mentioned.

    to me, the first step to transitioning out of stripperdom is noticing that strippermoney is not mythical outside the club. and if you don't care about the money, there are even more job options to pick from with flexible hours, career longevity and money that can be (but isn't necessarily) comparable to stripper-cash. but if you do care about the money, it's not impossible to find other options that can provide it.

  17. #17
    Featured Member xoxoGracexoxo's Avatar
    Joined
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    1,936
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 32 Times in 26 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    Quote Originally Posted by VegasPrincess View Post
    My biggest fear is this: how do I explain the three years I've been out of college? I've been dancing the whole time, and I'm sorry, I really am not comfortable putting that down on a resume... so what are my options? If I don't put down dancing, the only other shit I could put down is like six months of bartending, which wont help explain the other two and a half years....
    Start padding your resume. Volunteer opportunities, internships, part-time job. If you have something to show for your time, employers don't ask you to account for every second of your prior life. They want to know about stuff that is significant and recent. Of course, that does require some prior planning. Lysondra is right...the sooner you start planning your exit, the smoother you can make it.

    Miabella...how does one stumble into a job in high-end sales or recruiting? Do they really not expect a candidate to have any prior experience in business, sales, related industry? (If not, where do I sign up?)

  18. #18
    God/dess anomar's Avatar
    Joined
    Jun 2005
    Posts
    2,373
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    Quote Originally Posted by xoxoGracexoxo View Post
    Start padding your resume. Volunteer opportunities, internships, part-time job. If you have something to show for your time, employers don't ask you to account for every second of your prior life. They want to know about stuff that is significant and recent. Of course, that does require some prior planning. Lysondra is right...the sooner you start planning your exit, the smoother you can make it.
    Fo sho. The last paying job I had before I stopped stripping was in my junior year of college. I just made sure to take full resume advantage of every unpaid project I did.

  19. #19
    Banned i.breathe.in's Avatar
    Joined
    Sep 2006
    Location
    ohio
    Posts
    4,967
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    for transitioning out of dancing i would probobly just get a regular hourly paying job maybe at a pet store or something just so i have something on a resume. ill be living with ym bf then and hopefully wont have to have a lot of bills.

    for something like that could you put dancing down?

    what jobs if any would you be comfortable putting dancing on a resume?

    has it worked out positively for anyone?
    Last edited by i.breathe.in; 05-31-2008 at 01:16 PM. Reason: typo

  20. #20
    God/dess anomar's Avatar
    Joined
    Jun 2005
    Posts
    2,373
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    My job!

    Um, things doing with adult services in other ways? We have costume lady/fetish stores here in PDX, they might hire you part-time.

  21. #21
    Banned i.breathe.in's Avatar
    Joined
    Sep 2006
    Location
    ohio
    Posts
    4,967
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    i have a hard time lying, believe it or not. i would think that some companies would appreciate the honesty? maybe not im naive to real jobs.

  22. #22
    God/dess Lysondra's Avatar
    Joined
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Another Country
    Posts
    18,664
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 148 Times in 100 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    You'd eat a pet store?


    Look like a woman
    Think like a man
    Act like a lady
    Work like a dog

    - My Great Grandmother Bessie's Recipe for Success

  23. #23
    Banned i.breathe.in's Avatar
    Joined
    Sep 2006
    Location
    ohio
    Posts
    4,967
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    Quote Originally Posted by Lysondra View Post
    You'd eat a pet store?
    maybe at.

    c'mon you know im the queen of typos.

  24. #24
    God/dess Lysondra's Avatar
    Joined
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Another Country
    Posts
    18,664
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 148 Times in 100 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    Awww, but mayb eat a pet store is so much funnier.


    Look like a woman
    Think like a man
    Act like a lady
    Work like a dog

    - My Great Grandmother Bessie's Recipe for Success

  25. #25
    God/dess
    Joined
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Your imagination
    Posts
    2,875
    Thanks
    19
    Thanked 174 Times in 119 Posts

    Default Re: how to successfully transition out of dancing and get a job smoothly

    Quote Originally Posted by xoxoGracexoxo View Post
    Start padding your resume. Volunteer opportunities, internships, part-time job. If you have something to show for your time, employers don't ask you to account for every second of your prior life. They want to know about stuff that is significant and recent. Of course, that does require some prior planning. Lysondra is right...the sooner you start planning your exit, the smoother you can make it.

    Miabella...how does one stumble into a job in high-end sales or recruiting? Do they really not expect a candidate to have any prior experience in business, sales, related industry? (If not, where do I sign up?)
    there's a fair number of former strippers in those industries. if stripping is sales (and for the most part i wouldn't dispute that it often can be), then one should be able to figure out how to translate stripping sales experience into resume-experience that nets one an interview. and then it's all about interviewing well. you can get a lot of jobs by interviewing well even if your credentials are a bit thin. sales as an overall industry is usually male-dominated, but there are a few lucrative areas where women who are very attractive can get in and start making money. having a degree doesn't hurt. it is interesting how companies who won't promote female executives will pay female executive recruiters lots of money to find male executives. any stripper who can sell to rich men (which i figure is most of SW) can figure out entree into these kinds of sales industries.

    i don't know how to get into defense contracting work, i just know from some acquaintances in the industry that there are a lot of hot chicks in that industry and that they are never out of place in that line of work. weird, but there you are. there are probably other industries like that as well.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. transition from topless to fully nude dancing
    By mia_wallace in forum Stripping (was Stripping General)
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 06-28-2009, 11:00 PM
  2. Anybody got any good secrets for moving smoothly?
    By LuckyOne in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 05-18-2008, 01:39 PM
  3. Can't Post Under Dancing Jobs *Dancing Job
    By FoxyRoxIt in forum Other Work
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 09-23-2005, 03:45 AM
  4. ugh transition from amateurs to "real" dancing
    By quaid in forum Newbie Board
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 05-02-2005, 10:23 PM
  5. Dancing Transition
    By Roxie in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 04-29-2003, 09:58 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •