Hello all! I am a former member who just recently rejoined.
I retired from dancing about 5 and a half years ago when I went back to school. Prior to that I danced for about 7 years from 18 to 25 with the exception of a 2 year break in the middle. Since then I have earned 2 degrees and I am now a professional healthcare practitioner in a large hospital (this will become relevant shortly). I have been working in my field for about a year and I truly live and breath what I do. I have found my purpose in saving lives and working with the most critical patients. I am making decent but entry level pay that is relatively modest but secure. Or so I thought. In addition to my 50k worth of student loans, I have been visited by the biggest buzz kill of them all: the IRS (to the tune of about 4K).
I have decided to return to dancing in order to improve my financial situation and alleviate some of my debts. After crunching the numbers, I realize that this is really the only way to secure my financial future and avoid just barely scraping by for the next few decades. Okay, maybe not the ONLY way but certainly it's something I know how to do and I know the potential it offers to set me up for life. At the age of 30, I truly understand the saying that "youth is wasted on the young". I made a fortune as a dancer and I squandered it on nothing. If I understood the importance of security in my 20's, I would have very little worries now. But alas, this was a lesson I had to learn the hard way. My plan is to set specific goals and an arbitrary timeline in order to have a measureable end point when I will go back in to retirement.
So I've come to terms with this decision. I actually ended up in therapy a while back to evaluate the shame and embarrassment I once felt about my previous stripper life. I started a relationship in the last 6 months that I was dancing which lasted over 4 years and was profoundly abusive on every level. He even went so far as to tell me at my graduation for my bachelors that it "doesn't matter how many degrees I get, I will always be a worthless stripper". Fuck him. And therapy really helped. I no longer look at this as something shameful and I am not concerned with the emotional aspect of it.
I do, however, have a few concerns. First is the obvious anxiety about coming back after so many years: my regulars are gone, most of the girls I work with are gone, I'm still in decent shape but I am a little fluffier than I was back then, I haven't worn heels in years or danced in them for that matter, etc. I have decided on 2 clubs that I worked at previously that cater mostly to traveling businessmen and are large enough to blend in to. I would be absolutely terrified of being spotted by one of the doctors that I work with. In my field, it is imperative that the doctors respect and trust my judgment because I am essentially treating patients on their behalf. Because I am a specialist, they consult me for advice on treatment plans. If they were to question that, it would potentially impede my ability to make life or death decisions. I have earned their confidence and although I consider most of them friends, I would hate the issue even existing. But this is a chance I am willing to take. And they have about half a million each in medical school debt so what's not to sympathize with? Haha
So I'm hoping to hear from those of you who have experienced a similar situation. What circumstances brought you back? Did you have a goal going in? What was your experience going back after a long hiatus? Did you accomplish what you set out to? All of it! I really appreciate anything you can offer!



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Keep me posted and pm me if you ever want or need an ear.

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