Very SERIOUS question for u ALL

[kupido]

Hey guys. I have just started caming about 3 months ago. It took me while to get the hang of things but now i seem to be doing alright and getting an average of $250-400 a day. This is for a straight 4-5 hours worth of camming straight through. I am making more than I would doing my 5-8 5 days/wk job which only gives me $90/ day. Knowing this i feel so tempted to quit my real life job and just do camming. I would like another cam girl's thoughts on this. Is $200/ day good enough to live by? And if so, why isnt everyone doing this? I am thinking maybe its bc of taxes and other government penalties for being self emplyed but im not sure. Please i need help and some advice. I really do HATEmy 8-5 job. But i dont want to have to tell ppl what i do for a living. Esp when family or friends ask.. If there's other cammers who have quit theyre real job to cam please give me your feed back as well and how it went for you and how long the career or camming has last aince u started..

 

[kupido]

Hey guys. I have just started caming about 3 months ago. It took me while to get the hang of things but now i seem to be doing alright and getting an average of $250-400 a day. This is for a straight 4-5 hours worth of camming straight through. I am making more than I would doing my 5-8 5 days/wk job which only gives me $90/ day. Knowing this i feel so tempted to quit my real life job and just do camming. I would like another cam girl's thoughts on this. Is $200/ day good enough to live by? And if so, why isnt everyone doing this? I am thinking maybe its bc of taxes and other government penalties for being self emplyed but im not sure. Please i need help and some advice. I really do HATEmy 8-5 job. But i dont want to have to tell ppl what i do for a living. Esp when family or friends ask.. If there's other cammers who have quit their real job to cam please give me your feed back as well and how it went for you. how long and well did the camming carreer go for u since you made it your main career? And would u say it for better or worse thru time? Maybe what i am experiencing is just a fluke bc i am new and everyone is interested in the new cammers.

 

[THE MOLLIE MARIE]

Well, you are the only one who knows whether you can survive on that amount, as you are the only one who knows your financial situation.

As for why "everyone" doesn't do this, it's still considered pretty taboo to make pornographic content, so not everyone is comfortable with the idea, or willing to shoulder the judgment from others who aren't. And hey, if everyone were doing it, it wouldn't be nearly as lucrative!

I would advise that you hold off on quitting your other job, take the time to save up some of this sweet camming money so you have a safety net. And THEN if you still want to go full-time with camming, go for it. But set yourself up to be sure that you won't be in a troublesome situation first.

Also, consider the future effect that this job choice may have on other career paths you may want to go down later on.

 

[THE MOLLIE MARIE]

Forum tip, you don't need to make multiple posts with the same content.

 

[kupido]

Dear Mollie,
Thanks for your advice. That sounds like a good plan. But i m an impulsive person and i dont think i would be able to wait much longer... i know that is bad.. Right now im living off a pretty humble lifestyle. Single and living alone, just me and my dog lol. Ill try to save up some before i actually quit as you said. That is very wise advice. Thank u.

i realized i posted multiple threads. Im on my mobile and its doing that when i try to edit the thread. Omg so embarrassing...

 

[Mira_xo]

You know how much money you need to live off of.

Nobody can say whether you will maintain this level of success -- that's an aspect of having 100% of your income come from other people.

Yes you need to pay taxes. If you live in the U.S. you have Federal Income Tax (varying percentages -- but you'll hit bigger brackets making as much as you do) + Payroll Tax (flat 16%) + State Taxes (look up your own state). Do some research obviously, but a good rule of thumb is ~30% of each paycheck should be saved for taxes.

 

[kupido]

Forum tip, you don't need to make multiple posts with the same content.

Mobile Site isnt giving me an option to delete my multiple post. Unfortunato -_-

 

[Mintx]

I'd be hesitant to quit a vanilla job. Camming is a fickle monster sometimes, and you are looking at your gross income before taxes, right? At least with a vanilla job, unless you're being paid under the table, the taxes are already sorted out from your gross pay, and you have a steady check.

 

[Dan Epstein]

Listen to @Mintx , like every other freelance, it takes time to develop into a Small Medium Business, and it can be seasonal too. That's my experience with mainstream freelance by the way (as a payment rep), I hope it helps.

 

[Pure_emotion]

Unless you are able to plan your money very well and budget everything I wouldnt quit a good day job. Camming has ups and downs, today you;re a top model, tomorrow you're history. Guys on cam sites get bored FAST and only a few tip the same model for years. Plus, to be a good model you need to invest a lot in the camming business and always bring something new and exciting . Besides, investing or not ,we all get hit by summer slump...after Holidays slump...January slump...etc.

 

[CharlotteLace]

The problem is that being a full-time camgirl can take its toll. Bad day at the office? Nobody cares, and you still get paid. Bad day before getting on cam? Suck it up buttercup. Some people (myself included) can't always keep a good poker face when real life is getting you down and you're broadcasting to countless people. So you get the stress of "I'm upset, but I need to make money" which turns into "cam anyway" or "take a day off." Both of which can lead to negative outcomes that make it harder to cam the next day, and so forth.

As much as my vanilla job is boring and doesn't pay much, having the security of it makes it easier for me to practice self-care and bring my A-game to camming. Maybe just see if you can go down to part time at your office job?

 

[Dan Epstein]

It's an important insight @Pure_emotion .
At the end of the day it's hard work, which I respect a lot. You've come to the right and safe place for advice

 

[Dan Epstein]

I was a waiter and a bartender for over 15 years( when I was young and somewhat handsome). We tended to treat our strong shifts as an example, however the true numbers were different. I don't know if it's relevant as an example though

 

[JoleneBrody]

Quitting my soul sucking day job was hands down the best choice I've ever made for my life, so I'm not of the "keep your job" camp. I am of the "quit in a smart way" camp. If I still had to work 40 hrs a week at a corporate job, this (camming) really wouldn't be worth the risk IMO.

What I did when I quit was replace my day job with a daytime cam shift. I did two shows a day for a couple years before I was at a place I could transition to just one show.

 

[Dan Epstein]

Quitting my soul sucking day job was hands down the best choice I've ever made for my life, so I'm not of the "keep your job" camp. I am of the "quit in a smart way" camp. If I still had to work 40 hrs a week at a corporate job, this (camming) really wouldn't be worth the risk IMO.

What I did when I quit was replace my day job with a daytime cam shift. I did two shows a day for a couple years before I was at a place I could transition to just one show.

Jolene, you have an absolute control of the medium and what's around it. Whether it will be lens filters, or file formats, or marketing and social media to name but a few. You don't negate what we suggested, just phrased it in another way, I modestly say. Feel free to grill me for being embarrassing and out of line

 

[AmberCutie]

merged stuff

 

[SaffronBurke]

And if so, why isnt everyone doing this?

.... Cause not everyone is cut out for it/able to handle it.

 

[Pure_emotion]

Best advice i ever got in this job was " dont put your eggs in one basket" . I always think ...hm...what if tomorrow mfc or streamate disappears as a site what do I do? I'd be broke, no savings and no where to go.

 

[Kiki Jane]

You could try going part-time with the vanilla job. I'm doing that this year--- 20 hrs vanilla, 30 hrs cam. Well, I start back at the vanilla job tomorrow, so I'll see what this is like! I make decent money in both places, but like to switch it up and have a varied life. Use all the crayons in the box!

 

[AlyssaYoung]

Don't forget when you cam you don't get any sick days or paid vacation. Get the flu and can't work for a week, your out of luck. It takes a strict budget and a real strong drive to work those full time hours.

That being said, quit my job 6 years ago to cam full time and I NEVER regret it. I have never been happier or more financially stable. I literally can not imagine a world were I ever work for someone other then myself ever again. I want to cam till I am 65

 

[kupido]

merged stuff

Thank you so much so saving me further embarrassmemt lol.

 

[kupido]

Thanks everyone who gave a reply.. at the end of the day its me who has to make the decision. I just hope it turns out to be a good one. . . I dont want to regret my choices in the end D:

 

[kupido]

The problem is that being a full-time camgirl can take its toll. Bad day at the office? Nobody cares, and you still get paid. Bad day before getting on cam? Suck it up buttercup. Some people (myself included) can't always keep a good poker face when real life is getting you down and you're broadcasting to countless people. So you get the stress of "I'm upset, but I need to make money" which turns into "cam anyway" or "take a day off." Both of which can lead to negative outcomes that make it harder to cam the next day, and so forth.

As much as my vanilla job is boring and doesn't pay much, having the security of it makes it easier for me to practice self-care and bring my A-game to camming. Maybe just see if you can go down to part time at your office job?

Im not able to ask for part time at my job bc my position is full time only =( Im thinking maybe i can try to find a little part time job on the side and then do camming part time too. But part of the reason I made this post was bc im in a long dist relationship (not with a viewer!! FYI) and. The guy im with is 5 yrs younger than me. The thought of quitting my Ft job and just camming was always at the back of my mind. But i was never brave enough to consider it seriously until he started to constantly bring it up. He constantly says we can do whatever we want if we worked for ourselves, travel everywhere anywhere all the time& just cam to support ourselves. Sure that sounds like the life but it's not that simple n his lavish ideas are childish..

 

[Gen]

Im not able to ask for part time at my job bc my position is full time only =( Im thinking maybe i can try to find a little part time job on the side and then do camming part time too. But part of the reason I made this post was bc im in a long dist relationship (not with a viewer!! FYI) and. The guy im with is 5 yrs younger than me. The thought of quitting my Ft job and just camming was always at the back of my mind. But i was never brave enough to consider it seriously until he started to constantly bring it up. He constantly says we can do whatever we want if we worked for ourselves, travel everywhere anywhere all the time& just cam to support ourselves. Sure that sounds like the life but it's not that simple n his lavish ideas are childish..

Does he currently cam now, or is he planning to join you on cam? A lot of female models make more money on their own versus with a male partner. If he's expecting you both to live off camming money, I hope he's making some of his own now so he doesn't get unrealistic expectations.

 

[kupido]

No he isnt camming now. He wants to do it with me. He said he would never want to do it alone.. And yes i told him that a lot of solo females are more successful than couples but he is stuck with this idea. I will update you all on what happens.. in the mean time I'll persevere

 

[ElaySmith]

No he isnt camming now. He wants to do it with me. He said he would never want to do it alone.. And yes i told him that a lot of solo females are more successful than couples but he is stuck with this idea. I will update you all on what happens.. in the mean time I'll persevere

Everybody has been really great about telling you the downfalls but I dont want to rain on your parade bc camming can be a great long term career path but it takes a lot of work. I side with @JoleneBrody here, if your unhappy with your day job and feel like camming is what you want to do then go for it...just do it smart. Take a month or 2 and make sure your income stays steady and look into clip sites as a supplement to your cam income.

As far as what your boyfriend is proposing it really is the dream isn't it? Travel and work from anywhere.... hell thats been my plan for a while now and guess what? After almost 8 years of camming full time my dream is about to come true and yours can to, but it wont happen over night. While camming from anywhere seems like a great idea, and it can work (short term) its a lot harder than youd imagine. When you travel you never know what your internet connection will be, traveling through different time zones and not having a set schedule makes it even harder, not to mention the toys, lingerie, lighting, mics, cams and all these other things that go into have the best broadcast possible that you would need to travel with. Sure you can take a few lavish vacations here and there that you wouldnt otherwise be able to but real true long term travel will take a while to build up to. You need a secure foundation to build upon and something to keep you going when you dont have the connection for live camming.

If you and your bf really want this Id recommend 2 things. 1. He needs to have and keep a job. If your working on building your cam business the best thing he can do is help support you with a solid steady income. Even if your making enough money to support both of y'all, that means his money can go directly into the travel fund! 2. If you do decide to supplement cam with clip making this is where he can help you! Have him research lighting and video editing and things like that, he can be helpful to your business behind the scenes. While bg camming may not be the way to go many girls do make a decent chunk of change from bg videos so now you have your very own stunt cock! He could also learn to film some of your solo videos if you feel comfortable performing in front of him that way everything is stationary on a tripod.

 

[a_haze420]

I was a waiter and a bartender for over 15 years( when I was young and somewhat handsome). We tended to treat our strong shifts as an example, however the true numbers were different. I don't know if it's relevant as an example though

This 100%.
When I was serving and bartending we did the same thing but in reality there were a lot of really shitty nights too and you had to be prepared.
Camming is very similar.


For me camming was way to stressful on its own as my only job and I started not enjoying it anymore.
Now I work part time cam part time and clip make part time and I'm a lot happier.

 

[Ms_Gingersnatch]

No he isnt camming now. He wants to do it with me. He said he would never want to do it alone.. And yes i told him that a lot of solo females are more successful than couples but he is stuck with this idea. I will update you all on what happens.. in the mean time I'll persevere

I'm sure he isn't being malicious, and he probably hasn't even consciously thought through a lot of the implications, but please think about what he's implying before you indulge any more of his fantasies! Here's my imaginary version of what that conversation may have sounded like if one were to read between the lines:

Basically you said: Hey bb, your plan sounds fun, but it might actually mean that I make less money than I do by myself. Since you want to quit your job, that money would have to take care of two people, plus fund all our travel. That's like subtracting some of my income, splitting the rest with you, and then living a more expensive lifestyle. I'd end up with a lot less money for things like emergency savings, a down payment on a house, and my retirement account...

And he replied: Maybe other couples have that problem, but it's crazy to think that we'd make less money if we replace your stupid toys with my awesome cock.
And if we do make less, meh, I'm cool with that. I'm pretty sure you make sooo much money that we can stand to earn less. It would be fun, we could spend so much time together, and I'd get to quit my job and spend all day fucking! Don't you think that makes it totally worth it...?

And you: Hey, well at least you should try camming on your own. You could learn important skills like how to set up lighting, how to fix the white balance, WTF fps and encoders are, and how to arrange all the windows on the screen so we can see everything. That way you could get everything set up for us while I do my hair and makeup! You could also learn how to interact with viewers and make sales, how to do marketing, how to take and edit photos, and you'd get some exposure to common fantasies and fetishes. It would really help if you knew some of these things so you aren't a total noob when we start camming together.
Plus, it would be good to know whether you can get hard on demand and stay hard even when things get weird or aren't going super well.

My guess at his reply: Yeah, but you can handle all that stuff and/or teach me on the job, right? I really only want to do some totally straight fucking on cam. It doesn't turn me on to talk with guys about their dick size and their weird fantasies. They'd probably want to look at my asshole and maybe even put things in my orifices, and that's just gross. What am I supposed to do, pretend that I'm turned on by that stuff when I'm not? (I mean, you do those exact same things like a champ, but) I could never do that.
He definitely didn't think or say this, but just for and because I'd love to hear this from a civilian guy who thinks couples camming is fun, easy money: Oh, and don't worry about my dick, bb. You know it's amazing and never lets you down! It's not like it will wilt like hot spinach when guys say things like "Mmmm... can I lick your boyfriend's asshole while he fucks you and then suck his cock clean?" And I can totally keep going when guys say that my dick is too small or the wrong race and you should fuck them instead. I can handle the pressure of a dozen guys insisting that I cum NOW. I can stay hard even if the countdown drags on for hours. I can be ready to go the second the private chat bell rings, and I will definitely pull out within 0.5 seconds when that door slam noise happens because I know you need the other 29.5 seconds to get your clothes on. Oh, and I definitely won't develop crippling orgasm insecurity after someone comments that the size of my load is disappointing. I mean, seriously, why would you worry about whether someone's cock is qualified for this job? What could possibly go wrong?

 

[Dan Epstein]

It's not easy for an individual and not easy for a couple, it's freelance work on every aspect. This is what couples and individuals I serve taught me.
But what do I know, I am just a payment rep

 

[IsabellaSnow]

Honestly, saying you are impulsive makes me think that jumping the gun on work and camming full time may not be the best idea for you just yet. Camming is incredible when you are used to working long hours in a boring job, the money can be addictive and it's so much more exciting than anything else, but once you quit your day job, guess what? Camming can easily become your boring office job. Except this time you are at home with no motivation except yourself, and if it's a bad day not only will you not get paid, you will be bored as fuck AND you will have the added extra of taking it personally (hard not to do). For some girls this is their playground, for others it ends up too much stress and faff to deal with.

If you are the kind of person who is on it about doing stuff, you don't tend to leave bills until last minute, you are always proactive within your life and you are well organised. Maybe you're the type who always did their homework on time without it feeling like much effort, then congratulations, self employment is for you! That killing you are making will likely continue as you have the organisation skills and the energy to get on it! If on the other hand you are the type of person who loses interest in stuff easily, gets distracted or bored of something, maybe you put off doing that thing you needed to do until last minute, or at school always handed in homework late or last minute, well, you are like me. You can make good money from camming still, as the good news is camming can make you a lot in a short space of time, so you can indulge in being lazy and disorganised. But on the other hand, it is unlikely you will become a long term particularly successful model in the sense of keeping your hours regular and getting a reasonable ranking. You will also likely get bored once the glamour wears off, and may feel the pressure and stress of getting on cam and "performing" when you feel exhausted.

If you are the first type of person then quitting your shitty job is a very realistic option. On the other hand, if you are the second type of person I would hold onto at least a part time job while you build up camming. Partially to keep your CV there, but also to get you out of the house and keep you used to longer hours (once you get out of the habit it can be hard to get back in). Once you have some decent regulars and know that camming is enough for you then that would be a better time to consider quitting.

As for the boyfriend's plans, he is definitely being naive, and it is not his fault, this is very common with men. I would personally be cautious that he doesn't seem to care that you would be taking a big pay cut just to get him in on the action. Once you've been camming long term hearing men trying to get a piece of the camgirl pie will most likely become a bit of a pet peeve, as it happens a lot! I would also make a serious decision of whether you want to be recorded fucking your boyfriend in completely unedited content. The internet lasts forever. Personally I chose not to do this as I am not as fussed about having solo videos of me found later in life as I am having sex videos cropping up. I have considered how a new partner would feel if they or their friends/family came across a video of me fucking my ex. It is a leap, solo porn is porn, but it is not got nearly as much stigma attached to it as straight up b/g porn. It's all cool if you want to do it, but make a serious decision about it rather than being persuaded into it. Your boyfriend may also not understand the full weight of what he is offering, a sign is that he doesn't want to do solo camming.
As someone who has traveled around a bunch, camming is definitely not always easy from other places. Connection is not always good enough to work with, and you would never know if your location is good enough. Plus if you are travelling you may not want to lock yourself in a room and spend time on webcam when there are exciting new things to see! But on the other hand it is doable. I wonder if using clip sites would be better for this sort of thing.

As others have said, whatever you decide to do, the best advice anyone can give you is to think very seriously about what you are doing and take your time about it. If you want to quit your job and cam then that's awesome, but you should know it's possible over a period of time. Same with travelling and camming. At this point from what you have said getting a more enjoyable part time job wouldn't be a bad idea to keep you social and give you a fall back if camming doesn't go too well while you build your fanbase and see how it goes.
Remember to be realistic about yourself and how you tend to work rather than thinking of what you could or might do.

Good luck!