When does it become a career?

[vanperb]

Escorts start for different reasons. Some times part time. Some times to pay off some bills. Maybe to pay off school bills. Maybe to pay for that vacation in Europe. But once that's over with money is still good, and you've stopped your other full time job because it's a hassle juggling both. Then suddenly it's been a year since you've started and it's really the main source of income.

We've all been there with certain jobs that we say we're only going to be there for a bit, and suddenly years have passed it's the primary and probably only source of income, and weather we want to acknowledge it or not, it's our career. So for escorts... or for any other job, how long does it take before it's not longer a job, but a career?

 

[vanperb]

Absolutely, never denied that. But when does it become a career?

 

[Caramel]

Absolutely, never denied that. But when does it become a career?

I think you just answered your own question in the original post...after a few years and when there is no other source of income?

 

[vanperb]

I think you just answered your own question in the original post...after a few years and when there is no other source of income?

Well for you two ladies who responded, how long were you an active provider before you considered it a career? Or was it an "This is what I'm going to be my career now", the moment you started?

 

[Ms Erica Phoenix]

Not too big a secret that I used to teach. Not as well known a fact that I have a most of a post-grad degree in Disability Studies, including a lot of coursework that has to do with career development & vocational rehabilitation. In BOTH arenas, I have heard it said that "A career means you get paid to do what you love; if you can do that, you'll never work a day in your life." A job is what you do to pay the bills: a career is a calling, a vocation, and it affords a high degree of personal satsifaction in addition to providing for all of one's needs. A profession, you might say. :wink:

Sex work is my career until I decide I don't want to do it anymore, and there's a definite exit strategy.

 

[Caramel]

You seem to think that long term employment at a task is a career & short term employment at a task is "just" a job. But a "career" means more than that. It is a job, or series of jobs, on a pathway to a goal job. A career is starting as an intern at google with the goal of rising through the ranks in the tech industry to a higher position, perhaps as CEO of Google. perhaps as head of product development at Apple. Perhaps as a senior accounting clerk at Cisco. A career isn't working 25 years as a cashier at Safeway.

So as AA said, its work. It can be more than a job, but if the Sp's goal isn't to eventually run a brothel or be a pimp for a string of girls, being a SP isn't a career.

totally agreed!

 

[Caramel]

very odd question BTW, why do you ask this? why does it matter? Just wondering...

Also, keep in mind, prostitution is NOT legal, not regulated, not licensed or taxed, no benefits/insurance etc etc, so you cannot really compare it to your guys' jobs...and plus it's not very accepted by society either, its shameful for a lot of people. I like to compare it to drug dealing.

 

[vanperb]

You seem to think that long term employment at a task is a career & short term employment at a task is "just" a job. But a "career" means more than that. It is a job, or series of jobs, on a pathway to a goal job. A career is starting as an intern at google with the goal of rising through the ranks in the tech industry to a higher position, perhaps as CEO of Google. perhaps as head of product development at Apple. Perhaps as a senior accounting clerk at Cisco. A career isn't working 25 years as a cashier at Safeway.

So as AA said, its work. It can be more than a job, but if the Sp's goal isn't to eventually run a brothel or be a pimp for a string of girls, being a SP isn't a career.

A more pertant point would be what's wrong with working 25 years as a cashier in Safeway? Is ambition a requirement for a career? I'm at the stage in my own career where I really don't want to go any further because it would be taking me away from doing the things I enjoy doing. A happy cashier at Safeway for 25 years, could be a perfectly good example of a career.

 

[vanperb]

very odd question BTW, why do you ask this? why does it matter? Just wondering...

Also, keep in mind, prostitution is NOT legal, not regulated, not licensed or taxed, no benefits/insurance etc etc, so you cannot really compare it to your guys' jobs...and plus it's not very accepted by society either, its shameful for a lot of people. I like to compare it to drug dealing.

So hey, I've got some great news for you. Prostitution is actually legal. No joke. In fact, Johns hiring prostitutes, they're the ones that are actually committing the illegal act. Bill C-36 that's been discussed to death is the core to that. You're asking "Selling Sex is legal, but buying sex is illegal?", and answer yes. So in actuallity, it's actually *very* much like our jobs. You need to pay taxes just like a good contractor does of their own violation. There are no benefits and insurance just like a contractor. Prostitution is basically perfectly legal freelance contract work, with all the legal and financial responsibilities that come with it. http://perb.cc/vbulletin/showthread.php?209421-The-New-C-36-Media-Watchlist

Being accepted by society, that's a different story.

So you're more in line with say... a private investigator, or landscape architect than say a drug dealer.

 

[vanperb]

Not too big a secret that I used to teach. Not as well known a fact that I have a most of a post-grad degree in Disability Studies, including a lot of coursework that has to do with career development & vocational rehabilitation. In BOTH arenas, I have heard it said that "A career means you get paid to do what you love; if you can do that, you'll never work a day in your life." A job is what you do to pay the bills: a career is a calling, a vocation, and it affords a high degree of personal satsifaction in addition to providing for all of one's needs. A profession, you might say. :wink:

Sex work is my career until I decide I don't want to do it anymore, and there's a definite exit strategy.

Wonderful, I love it when a person has insight into their own motivations, and the results of them. How long was it before you decided that prostitution would be your vocation?

So what would you call those people who are working on their novel but have worked as an accountant for the last 8 years? Are they an accountant, or they a novelist?

 

[vanperb]

Sexwork is WORK.

I realize I might have misread your statement. Not to troll, but if sexwork is WORK, does that mean you take no personal satisfaction from it?

 

[Caramel]

uhh bill c36 still doesn't make it fully 100% legal...

lol love seeing how this type of sex work is compared to other kind of work by people who have never experienced it for themselves. The ignorance is very cute

 

[vanperb]

uhh bill c36 still doesn't make it fully 100% legal...

lol love seeing how this type of sex work is compared to other kind of work by people who have never experienced it for themselves. The ignorance is very cute

You don't have to trust me. There are resources out there... even though it's a tangent to topic...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_Canada
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...-everything-you-need-to-know/article19610318/
...and of course....
http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&DocId=6767128

So unless you're pimping, or selling sex in a public place causing a nuisance, or underage. I'm happy to be corrected though.

Also I'm not saying that sex work is equivalent to landscape gardening, but the financial and legal structures and responsibilities around it are. So as a sex worker, you should be among other things, paying taxes, buying your own insurance, keeping track of work expenses, etc,.

 

[vanperb]

The definition of "career":

An occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life and with opportunities for progress.

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/career

There is nothing wrong with working 25 years as a cashier at Safeway or 40 years driving a snow plow for the city. They just are not careers. Not all jobs are careers just like not all jobs are professions. Career and profession are types of jobs & a job is a type of occupation. A career has a career path. A single point does not a path make. One might make cabinets for 40 years but one generally starts as an apprentice, may move on to built-in cabinetry and perhaps subsequently move to fine furniture. A career as a cabinet maker. Of he might just stop at journeyman but may choose to spend decades training apprentices in the trade because he likes to pass on the knowledge and hone his skills at teaching. A different career.

I understand from your post that your occupation over the years offered, and continues to offer, opportunities for progress and that you have taken the opportunities that you wanted to over the years and reached a level at which you are presently satisfied. I've had two false starts at careers (retail and road construction - a little less than a decade in each) and a fair number of different job jobs before winding up in "my career" so far in life. There are still some opportunities for progress in my current career & so long as I can keep my work / life balance I don't plan to stop considering whether I'll take one or not.

So... if say someone started as a masseuse, then moved on to rub and tugs, then moved on to and stayed with escorting. Would be considered a career?
Versus, jumping into a escorting directly, which would be a single point, so wouldn't be considered a career?

 

[Caramel]

You don't have to trust me. There are resources out there... even though it's a tangent to topic...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_Canada
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...-everything-you-need-to-know/article19610318/
...and of course....
http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&DocId=6767128

So unless you're pimping, or selling sex in a public place causing a nuisance, or underage. I'm happy to be corrected though.

Also I'm not saying that sex work is equivalent to landscape gardening, but the financial and legal structures and responsibilities around it are. So as a sex worker, you should be among other things, paying taxes, buying your own insurance, keeping track of work expenses, etc,.

no need to educate me on bill c 36, I am fully aware of everything in it, of course! But the fact is the other half is illegal, the buying is illegal, so that makes prostitution not 100% fully legal in Canada. Even most of the sellers could be nabbed for running a "bawdy house"...since most incalls are run by someone and has at least 2 or more girls sharing it. And there could be kids anywhere near any incall at any time, so that is also a restriction, even if the lady is using her own residence for her incall and is the only one using it for the purpose.

 

[Caramel]

making a long term career out of this kind of work is actually unappealing to some pooners...there are some people out there that prefer that part-time student or single mom etc type that is an amateur and is just doing this for a short time to save up blah blah, and get turned off if an SP has been doing this for a few years...Its the same sort of mentality that comes with judging promiscuous women, yet praising men who do the same (rude and disrespectful IMO), because the customer gets to poon a lot longer than the SP they are insulting.

In any case, if this is going to be a long term venture, its best to play it safe most of the time or at least by default, and take lots of breaks or cut down at times periodically

 

[thodisipagal]

Not too big a secret that I used to teach. Not as well known a fact that I have a most of a post-grad degree in Disability Studies, including a lot of coursework that has to do with career development & vocational rehabilitation. In BOTH arenas, I have heard it said that "A career means you get paid to do what you love; if you can do that, you'll never work a day in your life." A job is what you do to pay the bills: a career is a calling, a vocation, and it affords a high degree of personal satsifaction in addition to providing for all of one's needs. A profession, you might say. :wink:

Sex work is my career until I decide I don't want to do it anymore, and there's a definite exit strategy.

Off topic, I know. But I can't resist sharing my thoughts. Those buttocks looks absolutely delicious. Every time I see the photos, I find myself wistfully staring at them.

 

[Ms Erica Phoenix]

Wonderful, I love it when a person has insight into their own motivations, and the results of them. How long was it before you decided that prostitution would be your vocation?

So what would you call those people who are working on their novel but have worked as an accountant for the last 8 years? Are they an accountant, or they a novelist?

I decided after about a year of working as an escort that I was not interested in going back to my former job, nor was I interested in a retail career, or really anything that involved me going back to work for someone else. When I realised that my union grievance was going nowhere, I made the choice to continue working but to expand my presence from 'under the radar' to a more out loud & proud persona of Ms Erica Phoenix, the Cougar Call Girl. To paraphrase the old song..."I couldn't see spending the rest of my life with my head hung down in shame; You know I might have been born just poor white trash, but "MS ERICA" is my name!" In pagan societies, there was often not a lot of distinction between a priestess and a prostitute. I have seen how sex work can be transformative in people's lives when there is a genuine connection that is about more than just 'how many times can I cum in an hour'? There is often a very healing aspect to the nature of the work we do, if you can open your mind to seeing it. Orgasms release oxytocin, the feel good hormone, in the brain. More orgasms, more oxytocin. More happy hormones, more happy! Simple science, really...

So there.

 

[vanperb]

no need to educate me on bill c 36, I am fully aware of everything in it, of course! But the fact is the other half is illegal, the buying is illegal, so that makes prostitution not 100% fully legal in Canada. Even most of the sellers could be nabbed for running a "bawdy house"...since most incalls are run by someone and has at least 2 or more girls sharing it. And there could be kids anywhere near any incall at any time, so that is also a restriction, even if the lady is using her own residence for her incall and is the only one using it for the purpose.

So we're on the same page. There are restrictions to what can be done, but the legal/finanicial structure and responsibilities of prostituiton is in line with contract work.

 

[vanperb]

I decided after about a year of working as an escort that I was not interested in going back to my former job, nor was I interested in a retail career, or really anything that involved me going back to work for someone else. When I realised that my union grievance was going nowhere, I made the choice to continue working but to expand my presence from 'under the radar' to a more out loud & proud persona of Ms Erica Phoenix, the Cougar Call Girl. To paraphrase the old song..."I couldn't see spending the rest of my life with my head hung down in shame; You know I might have been born just poor white trash, but "MS ERICA" is my name!" In pagan societies, there was often not a lot of distinction between a priestess and a prostitute. I have seen how sex work can be transformative in people's lives when there is a genuine connection that is about more than just 'how many times can I cum in an hour'? There is often a very healing aspect to the nature of the work we do, if you can open your mind to seeing it. Orgasms release oxytocin, the feel good hormone, in the brain. More orgasms, more oxytocin. More happy hormones, more happy! Simple science, really...

So there.

One year. That's a pretty fast turning point, but in this industry a year is a fair amount of water under bridge.