In a shock career turn-around, YouTuber Zara Dar, one of the activists for women in science, dropped out from her PhD program to specialize in content creation on Only Fans. Her video, “PhD Dropout to OnlyFans Model,” described this career change as a calculated risk that paid off.
“I just transitioned into doing OnlyFans and content creation full-time. It’s not just a career choice—it feels like a gamble on the direction of my entire life,” she shared.
Zara, who has a Master’s in Computer Science from the University of Texas, had started creating content around machine learning and neural networks, which garnered over 100,000 subscribers on YouTube. However, academia was too straight-laced and did not offer any financial opportunities.
She mentioned, “Most professors in the U.S. earn approximately $100,000 in a year. They spend more time composing grant proposals than doing active research. Such a life was not the one in my dream book.”
Zara paid off her family’s mortgage by entering OnlyFans, but that was not all; she also managed to build an impressive investment portfolio. “I’ve made $1 million. I avoided student loans, bought a car, and now I’m planning to buy my own house,” she revealed.
Critics may have a lot to say, but Zara emphasizes that leaving academia was a way to explore topics she genuinely enjoys free from corporate or institutional constraints. “Many people work for someone else’s wealth and recognition, staying in the shadows. I wanted more for myself,” she added.
Now that she has secured herself financially, Zara’s tale is one of the trade-offs between traditional career routes and entrepreneurial freedom. Such success, although unconventional, is a testament to making a unique path in today’s digital age.
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