A lot of girls I know who work as cam girls like to keep a low profile in public. It’s understandable – while this isn’t the 1950’s, there’s still a lot of judgement out there directed towards confident, sexually assured women, and I get why they wouldn’t necessarily like to be very open about how they make their money. I, on the other hand, don’t mind talking about my life and job as a cam girl. After all, I love what I do, and it sure as hell beats my old job working in an office cubicle answering phone calls for eight hours a day.

Being a cam girl is hugely liberating; I get to call all the shots, work where and when I want to, and have the added bonus of being told how gorgeous and sexy I am all day by guys all over the world! It’s not without its downsides, but as far as a fun and reliable way to pay the bills goes, it’s really not a bad gig. Because I’m relatively open about stripping online, I hear from a lot of budding cam girls and those who are keen to get into the business. There isn’t a whole lot of information out there when it comes to this job, so unsurprisingly, the most common question I get asked is ‘should I become a cam girl’, closely followed by ‘whats it like to be a cam girl’

Should i become a cam girl? Exploring the upsides and downsides

The problem with the first question is that there is no right or wrong answer, really. It depends on whether you’re willing to put the initial work in (nobody is an instant success in camming, it does take at least a few weeks and a lot of perseverance to get regular clients and appear on the front page of most cam sites), and whether you’re willing to show all online. I’m probably a good example of someone who had reservations at first about getting naked in front of a webcam. I hadn’t even considered it before I ran into an old friend, who had transformed from how I remembered her at school (quiet, mousey, certainly not someone you’d look twice at) into a confident sex-bomb of a woman. She told me all about how she’d quit her dead end job, and had discovered the world of camming – it had given her the confidence she craved, had sorted out her debts in a couple of months, and had provided her with a sense of freedom she couldn’t quite believe to be true. Naturally, I was interested; I’ve always been comfortable with my sexuality, and my ex boyfriends had all told me many times that I had a great body. Within a week, I had my profile set up, had chosen a sexy new name, and was flirting with my first paying clients.

Man, I thought I was going to be so nervous for my first show. However, I had spent quite a long time preparing myself – I imagined I was going on a hot date, so did all the preparation: had a long bubble bath, shaved myself, applied some sexy makeup and picked out my favourite lingerie, and the whole time I was fantasizing about quitting my day job and spending my cam money! Once I was online, the punters starting trickling in. Most were curious about me, my life and my love life, and I decided I was going to be as open as I could be, as I wasn’t entirely sure what to say. When a guy said he’d like to see my show and take me private, I didn’t hesitate. To be honest, I was pretty turned on by the whole thing; it’s a thrill knowing that someone is getting aroused by watching you, and my first client (and many subsequent ones) knew I was new, and acted like a director – telling me how to position myself, what I should do, how I should perform… it was great! I didn’t get any more paying clients that first day, but I didn’t care. I had done my first show, could see the dollars in my balance, and I had learned so much so quickly.

I guess I was lucky, really – I didn’t have any bad experiences when I was starting out. Sure, you get the occasional timewaster, telling you they want to book you for a show but really all they want is your attention, but you quickly learn to spot and avoid them. The main thing I hear camgirls struggling with is the scrutiny that they face as a part of their job. Believe me, you need a fairly thick skin when you’re a cam girl – you’re going to get people commenting on your looks, your body, your performance pretty much on a daily basis. Of course, with those comments comes a flood of compliments, and I’d say that the positive vastly outweighs the negative, but I know some girls find this aspect of the job a little tough. Want my advice? See your cam shows as something of a performance. When I’m camming, I’m mostly being myself, but there’s a part of me which is playing a role – a much more confident, sexually adventurous version of myself, who doesn’t give a hoot about any negative comments that might be made, and who is absolutely in control of the situation. It’s sexy, it’s fun, and it’s great for your personal life and love life, too!

Talking of your personal life… this is where things can be a little tricky. If you’ve got friends or a boyfriend/partner who is supportive of what you do, then you’re very lucky indeed. I’m pretty open about it all, because the way I see it, if you’re going to judge me for making money doing what I enjoy, then I don’t want or need you in my life anyway. A few girls I know tell their friends they work as online counsellors (which isn’t a million miles from the truth) or bloggers, and people are always quick to say how envious they are of their freedom and courage to do things by their own schedule.

Working Your Way Up

One of the main things people want to ask me – when they’re talking about whether or not they should become a camgirl – is regarding the ‘career path’ that a camgirl can follow. Truth be told, it’s a really meritocratic industry. Everyone starts on an even playing field – no followers, no fans, no feedback – and it’s your job (and your job alone) to build up a reputation and following through your own hard work and dedication. As I mentioned before, getting started can be tough. It can take weeks, even months, to get to a position where you’ve got enough regular clients, enough word-of-mouth recommendations and enough feedback to be able to log in knowing you’re going to make some money… but in many ways, this is just the nature of the work. It’s the same if you’re a freelancer in any industry – you have to put the work in to get the rewards, and the trick is to stay focused and not get disheartened. While everyone starts from the same position, there are a few tricks of the trade you can use to get yourself noticed a little more quickly. These are:

  • Get some good photos taken, from which potential clients can get an idea of what your show is all about. Use them on your profile, and keep them updated regularly.
  • Have a complete, fully filled-out profile. Clients want to know a bit about your personality, what you like and dislike, and what kind of things you like to do online. Be explicit, be bold – there’s no room for coyness here!
  • Talk to every client, and say hello by using their name. It’s a personal touch that requires very little effort.
  • Make sure you’re looking your best when you’re online, and you’re in a clean, attractive environment. First impressions count!
  • If you’re getting frustrated with the lack of traffic, timewasters or anything else, it’s better to log off for a while instead of venting your feelings online. You never know who is watching, and being grumpy isn’t exactly fantasy material for most guys!

If you follow these steps, you shouldn’t have much problem in gaining a following and attracting new clients all the time. Before long, you can maybe even start demanding a slightly higher price for your services, meaning you can make even more money from behind your webcam.

It’s also worth mentioning that there are loads of different platforms out there, some considerably better or busier than others. If one platform isn’t working out for you, there’s nothing stopping you from applying to another, and finding the one which best suits your needs. If, after reading all this, you’re still asking yourself ‘should I become a cam girl?’ then I could only encourage you more. It isn’t the perfect job, but if you’re up for having fun and have the determination to make it to the top, there’s nothing stopping you from being a success in the safety of your own home.

Read more about webcam modeling tips