Leaving the industry support
Whilst some of my clients have reported that therapists they saw in the past had a preoccupation with the work they did and even went as far as suggesting they leave the industry that doesn’t mean there isn’t scenarios when some sex workers do want to leave the industry. It is important that these people have someone unbiased to talk to about weighing up this decision and that this person is also able to speak openly about the challenges that are unique for sex workers in having a career pivot. Civie workers change careers and industries all the time so it makes sense that SW might want to leave and change their work too. Sex work has unique challenges that I have, not only first hand experienced, but can also provide knowledgeable, sex work affirming and unbiased support with. Some of the challenges we experience are:
Huge gaps on our resumes- I was always impressed by the other brothel workers who were chipping away at a medical degree or working as a legal receptionist part time to keep their civie career options open but for me, and many others, sex work was my main hustle for years and that meant a big fat gap on my CV when I decided that I wanted to explore non SW options.
The massive hourly rate drop!!! Unless you are jumping from sex work to handing out ADHD scripts as a private psychiatrist chances are you’re getting a big hourly pay cut that HURTS!
Reduced flexibility - yes that’s right - at your new job you might not be able to chose your own hours- rock up drunk or spontaneously take leave for two weeks during winter to head to bali to get a last minute tan.
Imposter syndrome- this isn’t unique to SW who swap careers but I do feel like sometimes it can be amplified as we sometimes minimalise the skills we use and learned doing SW. A new role can leave us feeling out of our depths and like we are faking even harder than when our beloved regs went down on us !
These are just a few things we can discuss and I can provide support and lived experience on with a focus on:
Exploring pros and cons of leaving if there is ambivalence or uncertainty (remembering that SW is an industry that you can return to at any point as- unlike Tech or Science jobs- Not much changes in terms of how you do your job!
When to leave- maybe you haven’t quite yes reached your goals with the sex industry- we can workshop ways to make it work for you before you leave
Ways to beef the resume while staying authentic
Burnout stratagies if you’re not done but feeling burntout
Combatting imposter syndrome
I hope one day sex workers will be able to pivot careers with more ease and speak proudly on their resumes about the many skills we acquire in the industry but until then there is support available at Face the Strange from a qualified counsellor and peer who has changed careers and knows the intricacies of this (sometimes daunting) process.
