'I quit my medical science degree to join OnlyFans. Here's why.'

Since Amy Mae was a young girl, she always felt a career in the medical industry would be perfect for her.

She was passionate about science, excelled at school and had family members in the medical field. So when it came time for university, she began a medical science degree with her heart set on becoming a doctor.

"I loved my studies but I was struggling financially. I was working a retail job four or five days a week and trying to do full-time medical studies. I was living paycheck to paycheck," she tells Mamamia.

It was at this point she first considered joining OnlyFans. 

Amy — whose story is featured on the latest episode of Insight which is available to view on SBS on Demand —
has been a content creator in the adult entertainment industry for just over six months now. And despite loving the work she does on OnlyFans, Amy concedes this probably means she won't be able to get a job as a doctor in the future.

It's a reality she understands but one she wishes could be different.

Watch: OnlyFans unpacked. Post continues below.

It all began late last year.

After doing some research, Amy who is 21, decided to start an account, only posting lingerie and bikini photos on the platform, without her face visible. A short time into this new side project, Amy decided she wanted to create more explicit content, which includes videos involving sex acts. Now she also shows her face in the content.

It was a decision made with both money and newfound sexual confidence in mind. 

"As I got more into it I became more comfortable with myself and I liked being sexual on camera. More and more people were asking for explicit content and I wanted to give them what they wanted. Within my first couple of days [posting explicit content] I doubled my monthly income compared to my normal retail job."

As for Amy's favourite aspect of being an OnlyFans creator? It's the freedom it provides her in terms of money and creative control. When it comes to the biggest downside, Amy notes that it's making sure she doesn't subconsciously begin to think of all sex as work. 

"I film one to two sex videos a week. Add onto that my sex life outside of OnlyFans, and it can make it hard to separate the difference between 'work' sex and personal sex. So maintaining the intimacy can be hard."

Overall, Amy says her loved ones have been pretty supportive, particularly her boyfriend. But that doesn't mean she hasn't seen firsthand the stigma and judgement often thrown at women who choose to do sex work or post sexual content online.

"When I first started OnlyFans I messaged my mum out of the blue and asked how she would feel about me doing this, and she was okay as long as the content wasn't fully nude or explicit. Since doing that content now though, she is definitely not okay with it and doesn't like to talk about it," Amy says.

"She wants me to go back and get a 'real job' and focus on my medical studies."

Now two years into the degree, Amy has decided recently to defer her studies and focus on being a full-time adult content creator.

She does see herself one day finishing her medical science degree, as she was excelling and thoroughly enjoying it. But right now, OnlyFans is taking up the vast majority of her time and energy. 

It's also making her a significant amount of money as well and within six months she has become one of the top 0.05 per cent of creators on OnlyFans. It's no easy task, and took a lot of hard work, consistent posting and strategy.

"I have an interesting take when it comes to sex work. I wish it was more normalised, but I also don't want it to be glamourised so much that everyone starts doing it. Also, that would mean less money, because the reason us top creators make so much money is because not everyone is okay with doing sex work, so it's a small field that we can dominate," Amy tells Mamamia. 

"But I do wish that the chances of me being able to be a doctor or do something in medicine after OnlyFans were greater. With the amount of stuff I have got online though, I think my chances of having a job in medicine would be lowered regardless of how well I do in the degree or my level of talent. And that sucks."

It's a valid concern.

Just a few months ago, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of NSW sent an email out to the state's nurses and midwives, warning them against posting adult content to OnlyFans. 

They claimed medical workers risked being "a distraction for patients", even if they produced explicit content on their own time and in a way that did not identify their profession.

With this report in mind - along with many others - Amy hopes that a decade from now, the work she has done on OnlyFans will be considered less taboo to the point that it won't impact her career in a different field.

As for her post-OnlyFans future, Amy tells Mamamia she would eventually like to mentor other creators wanting to start their own OnlyFans, or start her own business.

"For anyone, particularly women, thinking of starting an OnlyFans I would tell them to only do it if they're 100 per cent interested and invested. Otherwise, they shouldn't do it. This part of me will forever be online, so you need to weigh up the risks and consequences associated with that and figure out where you stand," she says.

Right now, Amy has no plans to stop posting to OnlyFans. She has built up a personal brand for herself, created a good amount of wealth, and it's a job she is passionate about. 

And she wants people to know that it is in fact a job, one that keeps her occupied full-time and takes a considerable amount of effort. She just wishes it didn't cut off other opportunities for her and other like-minded creators.

"No girl should have to give up a career plan purely because she posts on OnlyFans. Considering the success I've had so far, I do feel a sense of ease that I made the right choice."

Amy Mae will appear on tonight’s episode of Insight, ‘Sex and Subscribers’, on SBS and SBS On Demand from 8:30pm AEST.

Feature Image: Supplied.