Dear Carol,

I was wondering if you knew about paid employment ANYWHERE for people interested in sex education/community building/open dialogue about sexuality? I would love to conduct research or interviews, but I get the
feeling that all of this is volunteer work or that you have to have a
special degree. I have a BA in psychology and want to go on with my schooling, but I also want experience first. Any help will be appreciated!

--Recent Grad

Dear Grad,

There are not tons of opportunities to do sex-related work for a living, especially wearing more than a g-string. There may be more opportunities in the private sector (that is, sex shops, sex-related websites, and so forth), although my guess is that's not exactly the kind of work you have in mind. Still, some positions in the for-profit world are highly educational, and require a good deal of savvy about sexual practices and good, comfortable communications skills.

The bad news is, even these jobs don't grow on trees. When Good Vibrations opens one of its Sex Educator/Sales Associate positions, for instance, it's not unusual for them to get 200 or more applicants. And most of these interested people don't get more than a cursory look; if their resume doesn't already include sex education or relevant work experience, they won't even get a call for an interview.

Then there are the public and non-profit sectors. By "public sector" I mean education and government-funded jobs, and I bet you already know, if you've been watching the news, that the current government isn't hiring people to talk to other people about sex, especially the part that involves pleasure. In an educational context you'll find more research going on, but mostly it's woefully underfunded. Any paid positions associated with it are usually snapped up by the grantwriter's grad students.

In the nonprofit sector there are some jobs too, at places like Planned Parenthood, but getting them is usually at least as tough as getting your foot in the door at Good Vibrations.

Now you see why so many interested parties decide to become dominatrixes.

It's true that a college or grad school major in a sex-related field is very helpful where all these positions are concerned. There aren't many programs that grant advanced or even bachelors' degrees in sexuality
studies, actually; in many cases, a sex-related major that leaps out of a
resume involves at least as much of your own on- and off-campus interests
as it does the school's established sex curriculum. You can major in psychology, sociology, anthropology, Cultural Studies, Women's Studies, and biology or medicine-related fields, then focus on sex via your senior project, electives, and thesis or dissertation. At many schools you can elect to use part of your hours on independent study options, and that often gives you a great deal of leeway, from working with experts outside your major to getting educational credit for off-campus internships. (And remember what I said about the resume it takes to get in the door of most paying jobs related to sex. An internship is definitely good on the resume; it isn't as important that you were doing a paid job, it matters more what the scope of the job was.)

And so we get back to the question of volunteer work and life experience. You're right: most positions you might find interesting (especially with no previous experience) do involve volunteering: with non-profits, community-based activist organizations, and sometimes with professionals such as researchers and writers. In most cases you can figure out ways to get college credit for these sorts of positions. In most cases, the volunteer work you do can make your application stand out when you apply for a "real" job. And in all cases, you may be able to narrow down your interests and figure out whether sexuality is a field of study you want to pursue.

I don't mean to be discouraging. However, dealing with sex professionally isn't something the whole culture supports. Sex is marginalized in the US, and professional sexuality-related work is usually marginalized too: less grant money, pretty much no government support, and very little institutional support within most professions for people who want to specialize in sexuality-related positions within those professions. (A person who wants to be a sex therapist, for instance, will be ill-prepared to do so by the standard therapy training s/he gets, unless s/he goes out to add to this training in a specialized program or through a mentorship.)

But let me now try to give you some hope. First, when you are putting together elements for your resume, take any life experience as well as academic work seriously and list it, at least for your own reference. If you have worked in the sex industry but don't necessarily want to say so, try to break down what positive gains doing so gave you and develop a skills-based, rather than a position-based, resume. List comfort talking about sexually explicit topics, not "I did phone sex." (Note: When applying for some positions, it would be completely appropriate to say that you've done sex industry work; don't automatically assume you have to hide the life experience that gives you the interest in the first place, but do judiciously evaluate whether disclosing it will be a good idea in each specific instance.) Similarly, if you have studied up on sex but don't have even volunteer or subcultural work to show for it, you'll have to make a case for your knowledge and your interest. Consider what you could include in your cover letter to pitch your enthusiasm. Sadly, "I like sex and so I'm interested in it" probably won't be enough. Really assess your experience and skill set to figure out how to present yourself. If you have any relationships with professors or other professionals who might speak on your behalf (and whose mentorship you can cite), get in touch with them, ask for advice and contacts, and give them the heads-up that you'd like to list them as a reference.

Then it'll be time to figure out where any available jobs might be. List all the local possibilities you know about: academics who specialize in sex-related research, teaching, or writing; non-profits (don't forget any AIDS organizations); sex therapy clinics; private sector businesses -- list everything you can think of. Rank them (how interesting to you is the work they do? How likely is it they hire people?). Then start querying and, if appropriate, applying. While you're doing this, ask yourself if you'd be interested in working with these places as an intern or volunteer, if no paying options are available to you. Another reason to volunteer at a place you're interested in working is to get in the door and get taken more seriously if a paid position opens later. This may also optimize networking opportunities. Chat with people. Collect business cards. And if you're enquiring someplace that has a training you haven't taken, consider taking it. Once you've gone through this process for your own area, ask yourself whether you would consider relocating for the kind of job that interests you. Then start searching the Web. Don't forget to comb the links pages of organizations or businesses that interest you.

As the summer progresses, my non-profit, The Center for Sex & Culture, will be building up its links program. You might find useful information and places to query there, so bookmark us and check back from time to
time: www.centerforsexandculture.com. Also, let's ask for other readers' feedback; if I get any good suggestions for you, I'll pass them on.

Good luck!