Are careers a thing of the past

[Ifyouseekamy]

Btw- if any of you women are careerist; I’m super proud of you! We need women in more positions of power.

I’m just Wondering about the reality of making it in the vanilla world and putting all my eggs in investing in a career. Is it really financially secure?

From a dollar stand point-without out considering social status- is vanilla work really better in the long run.

For example my aunt is a pharmacist manager at Walgreens and she lost her job to someone younger who would do more work for less money ( sound familiar)

Nothing seems certain now n days when it comes to finding financial peace.

I’m getting a lot of pressure because I’m getting older about an exit strategy. Yes- I have a back up plan A and B. I feel at this point I’m better off trying to get as much money as I can than trying to have a come to Jesus moment where I quit dancing to invest my time in a career I don’t really care much for other than the health insurance benefits.

I have a friend with an ADN RN degree and she doesn’t even use it! It’s just an exit strategy.

[SnuffleUffleGrass]

These days-

* regional issues matter. A lot of people where I live have job security because a lot of Americans don't want to live in this area.

* your conduct matters. 20-25 years ago drug testing didn't happen everywhere. Now it's very common, even for horrible jobs. Same with background checks.

* Education always helps even if you build a career in a field that has little to nothing to do with your degree.

[rickdugan]

Yes careers are still a thing. IMHO there are a few things to keep in mind though in this evolving landscape:

1. The more you can specialize and do something that a computer or robot cannot easily do, the more longevity you will have in a career (in other words, something where a high degree of judgment, delicacy and/or artistic talent may be needed);

2. Geographic flexibility helps a lot. As the U.S. population shifts, so too do the opportunities. For example, if you are a homebuilder, or school teacher, or any number of other specialties, you'll find many more opportunities in high growth areas than you will in places with population stagnation. Florida and Texas are two great examples of this right now.

3. Learn to build relationships. Trust matters and when people trust you and what you do, you become more indispensable. To be perfectly honest, I find that whole "I was let go for someone who could do more work for less money" argument to be cop out more times than not. More often than not, the older experienced person who was let go was also a malcontent who the supervisor couldn't completely trust to take care of things. Expertise alone is not enough - character and execution matter too and a person who can be relied upon brings a lot of value to the table as it eases the burdens of those immediately above them.

Anyway, just my and good luck!

[SnuffleUffleGrass]

On the Up side of things, opportunities for self-employment are abundant with the Internet and global culture.

[miss.a.p1600]

Btw- if any of you women are careerist; I’m super proud of you! We need women in more positions of power.

I’m just Wondering about the reality of making it in the vanilla world and putting all my eggs in investing in a career. Is it really financially secure?

From a dollar stand point-without out considering social status- is vanilla work really better in the long run.

For example my aunt is a pharmacist manager at Walgreens and she lost her job to someone younger who would do more work for less money ( sound familiar)

Nothing seems certain now n days when it comes to finding financial peace.

I’m getting a lot of pressure because I’m getting older about an exit strategy. Yes- I have a back up plan A and B. I feel at this point I’m better off trying to get as much money as I can than trying to have a come to Jesus moment where I quit dancing to invest my time in a career I don’t really care much for other than the health insurance benefits.

I have a friend with an ADN RN degree and she doesn’t even use it! It’s just an exit strategy.

No vanilla career work is not "better" in the long run

I mean it depends on your goals.

If you want the biweekly set amount paycheck, the benefits n shit, to use your degree, then go for it. Technically you can get your own health insurance so you don't necessarily need an employer for that unless you have some high risk medical issues.

Plenty of people have degrees they don't use or go into different areas they just got it cause their parent told them to or to use as a backup if all else fails.

An employer can fire you or lay you off whenever and so really it is not as secure as one may think.

The better thing to do is to have more than one stream of income at all times (whether it is from a job, a self-employment gig, a business, etc) AND to make your money work for you by investing wisely.

[PhatGirlDynomite!!!]

Btw- if any of you women are careerist; I’m super proud of you! We need women in more positions of power.

I’m just Wondering about the reality of making it in the vanilla world and putting all my eggs in investing in a career. Is it really financially secure?

From a dollar stand point-without out considering social status- is vanilla work really better in the long run.

For example my aunt is a pharmacist manager at Walgreens and she lost her job to someone younger who would do more work for less money ( sound familiar)

Nothing seems certain now n days when it comes to finding financial peace.

I’m getting a lot of pressure because I’m getting older about an exit strategy. Yes- I have a back up plan A and B. I feel at this point I’m better off trying to get as much money as I can than trying to have a come to Jesus moment where I quit dancing to invest my time in a career I don’t really care much for other than the health insurance benefits.

I have a friend with an ADN RN degree and she doesn’t even use it! It’s just an exit strategy.

I think working in a mainstream society is most beneficial when you create a job for yourself. If you can find something that you're really good at and apply all of the skills you've learned from the adult industry then you will be successful. Civilians look at us as though we're unskilled workers but that's not true at all. The landscape is just different therefore it's foreign to them and doesn't allow them to see our assets. Or maybe they do but get too caught up on the sex worker thing and can't see past it?

My advice for anyone trying to transition from the adult industry is to take an honest look at your skill set and then try to use that to break into a new industry. In my experience the only thing that gives me financial security are the jobs I've created for myself. And then once I got those up and running I started to make connections with mainstream partners. But of course my perspective is coming from someone who has zero desire to work in anything corporate. Been there. Done that and it sucked. This is gonna come down to what it is that you want. Let me ask this question...Does your next career have to be in the vanilla world? What is the vanilla world? Unless it's Vanilla ice cream made with the french pot method it sounds kinda boring. Is that what you want? Because that could be why you may feel so conflicted.

[Winged Dinghy]

I don't think it's ever a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket--especially when it comes to a career.

As sex workers, we know how to navigate the terrain of self-employment, which can be scary for people who depend on a 9-to-5. I truly think self-employed people who embrace "the gig economy" and/or launch their own businesses are set to profit the most in the future, as old employment models crumble or shift drastically.

When I started working in the sex industry almost 20 years ago(!), it was a means to an end: I was paying college tuition and supporting myself during unpaid internships so I could get a job in my field--which happens to be a field that's now in decline.

I worked that job for seven years and missed dancing the whole time. I quit in 2016 to go freelance and went back to stripping one or two shifts a week. My money comes from three or four anchor clients, rental income (from a property I bought when I had a salaried vanilla job) and dancing income. I no longer feel like I need an exit plan or that dancing is a means to an end. It's work that I will do as long as I am having fun and making money.

Nothing's certain, but because my income streams are diverse, I feel like my situation is as stable as it can be in this day and age. Plus, the company where I used to work just got sold. So I might not have even had a job there if I'd stayed.

TL; DR: Vanilla careers aren't necessarily stable, but diverse streams of income can be. So maybe branch out and add a new, monetizable skill set to your hustle.

[Ifyouseekamy]

Thank you!!! I’m sorry that question sounded weird, but I guess I’m getting at is what is the new normal?

As a recovering adult child, I Just have this weird tendency to think other people know better than me what’s right and wrong for me. I get triggered by a lot of questions about what I’m doing with my life and I don’t think I’m projecting when I sense an implicit judgement.

Like Lisa Anne said, “just be finished with the industry before the industry is finished with you.”

I would never be happy retiring completely. I would like to do less physical work in the future though.

Anyways, back to the point. I agree careers aren’t a thing of the past. I can’t believe I asked it like that...lol.

As long as I’m not codependent on my club to support myself that’s all I care about is the bottom line $$$

A pipe burst in a doctor’s house. He called a plumber. The plumber arrived, unpacked his tools, did mysterious plumber-type things for a while, and handed the doctor a bill for $600.
The doctor exclaimed, “This is ridiculous! I don’t even make that much as a doctor!”
The plumber waited for him to finish and quietly said, “Neither did I when I was a doctor.”

I don’t mind if I am a plumber...lol. It is hard to deal with the judgement of being an older dancer. It’s more acceptable to be a young dancer who’s just doing it for now, espically where I’m from. My gut says from a $$$ perspective I’m on the right path so, I’ll just ignore the haters and keep on my path until something better $$$ comes along. I’m not stupid. It’s not like I’m not conscious of the pros and cons. I’m conscious of the cost vs benefits. As long as I’m making an educated decision and I’m happy that’s all that matters.

[minniesoporno]

With the way things are, normal becomes what you make of it.

I spent years thinking I had to be in college and get some career to be accepted by people who don't matter or even determine my income or lifestyle.

Now we have more options and sometimes even more control of what we want to do and how we want to do it.

I see my family dread going to work and always missing out on events they could attend but chose not to because of work. They drink or drug their pain away and get back up to work and do it all over again.

They wish they could be doing something else, but the list of excuses of why they aren't doing it are ridiculous. They can't say it's because they are raising children why they can't do something they are super passionate about, because we are all grown and out of the house many years now.

but the way they want to bring me down to their level of suffering is really sad.

I have to look at this way. I got about 30 more maybe 40 more solid working years of my life. the internet is not going anywhere and ways to make money online are pretty much almost maxed out. it's not like new career ideas are happening we pretty much maxed out those ideas as well. So it's a matter of picking something and bringing in that cash flow.

[MOCHAakaMOCHA]

THIS! Yes to multiple streams of income .

I don't think it's ever a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket--especially when it comes to a career.

As sex workers, we know how to navigate the terrain of self-employment, which can be scary for people who depend on a 9-to-5. I truly think self-employed people who embrace "the gig economy" and/or launch their own businesses are set to profit the most in the future, as old employment models crumble or shift drastically.

When I started working in the sex industry almost 20 years ago(!), it was a means to an end: I was paying college tuition and supporting myself during unpaid internships so I could get a job in my field--which happens to be a field that's now in decline.

I worked that job for seven years and missed dancing the whole time. I quit in 2016 to go freelance and went back to stripping one or two shifts a week. My money comes from three or four anchor clients, rental income (from a property I bought when I had a salaried vanilla job) and dancing income. I no longer feel like I need an exit plan or that dancing is a means to an end. It's work that I will do as long as I am having fun and making money.

Nothing's certain, but because my income streams are diverse, I feel like my situation is as stable as it can be in this day and age. Plus, the company where I used to work just got sold. So I might not have even had a job there if I'd stayed.

TL; DR: Vanilla careers aren't necessarily stable, but diverse streams of income can be. So maybe branch out and add a new, monetizable skill set to your hustle.

[Morrigan]

one of my beloveds is a formally trained career chef ( i mean REAL REAL chef, not like a diner line cook ) and she could work anywhere in the world....another has had a long career in IT, yet another is in the sciences as a botanist .... so there are three solid careers just in my circle of spouses. I on the other hand have a career first and foremost as an illustrator, concept designer and comic industry - and well, best part about it is Im my own boss at the end of the day...the others may work under a company, or a corporation, or a university and so on... but they too ultimately have a lot more leeway in getting what they want or need or making things work around them, not the other way around.... thats the perk of professional careers with a ton of time and work and training put into our skills.... though with me.. my career is successful, but defies " classic ideas" because 90% of it from the work itself, to meeting and working with clients around the globe - is all done digitally now, all things i can do from my home office, not stuck in some traditional studio or business front like days past.

my kids though, both are highly accelerated academics wise, and while say my youngest who is looking into aerospace engineering and applied physics, careers we have " now " wont be there when hes an adult in the few years.. alot of what we think of as generic or classic careers in certain fields are inevitably going to fade with advancement...thats why one has to train and work for careers that WILL BE. It's about working ahead now..or risk stagnating progress as a whole and redundancy.

so TLDR: careers are and will never be gone. just what we generally consider a career can and will be changing, or phasing out for different ones.

now.. if i have my illustrating career then why work in the adult industry? because its fun, because its a way for me to simply approach the world with a different, much more ancient art, something i can still tell or create a story through motion or expression and passion...so to me it's not really different from my other art, just a different medium.

...and it's also a good way to make income that is purely for " me" and not taken into the family accounts unless needed

[Bahuba]

Lots of good advice here. I have had two careers, and each time I've acted like a lifer and really gotten into it. I miss wall street so much sometimes, but I love having my own thing as well, and there isn't a day that goes by where I don't use my former primary skillsets in some capacity.