A Novel Alternate Career Choice
Several years ago a television show appeared on the BBC entitled “Secret Diary of a Call Girl” which follows the life of a seemingly ordinary, but struggling, student named Hannah aka Belle de Jour who, unbeknownst to family and friends, secretly moonlights as a prostitute to make ends meet. The BBC series (which starred the British actress Billie Piper) was based on an anonymously written blog (later books) that began appearing in 2003.
Last November, the author behind the blog and bestselling books revealed herself to be none other than Brooke Magnanti, PhD a researcher in developmental neurotoxicology and cancer epidemiology at a hospital in Bristol, England. And, while a doctoral student in 2003, actually worked as a prostitute (£300 per hour) for an escort service to help pay rent and make ends meet when writing her PhD thesis. At the time, she was already an experienced science blogger and began writing about her experiences on a blog entitled 'Belle de Jour: Diary of a London Call Girl' which was later adapted into the books and the television series.
Magnanti said she was working on a doctoral study for the department of forensic pathology of Sheffield University in 2003 when she began her secret life. "I was getting ready to submit my thesis. I saved up a bit of money. I thought, I'll just move to London, because that's where the jobs are, and I'll see what happens. She added "I couldn't find a professional job in my chosen field because I didn't have my PhD yet. I didn't have a lot of spare time on my hands because I was still making corrections and preparing for the defense and I got through my savings a lot faster than I thought I would"
Dr. Magnanti has no regrets about the 14 months she spent working as a high priced call girl. "I've felt worse about my writing than I ever have about sex for money," she said. "I did have another job at one point, as a computer programmer, but I kept up with my other work because it was so much more enjoyable" she added. Interestingly, Magnanti has kept her day job as a researcher and writes in her spare time.
While this alternate career option may not appeal to most, it certainly was a creative choice that demonstrated at least one scientist’s commitment to “doing whatever it takes” to pursue a scientific career!
Until next time...
Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!
