Why?

Why phone sex?  Because the job market in the United States sucks and has for a great many years.  Companies that complain that Americans don't want to work are full of shit.  Americans want to work but we don't want to feel like we're being taking advantage of, either.  Ever been assigned 'busy work' so it looks like something is being done even though the task is completely unnecessary?  I have more than once.  Ever have an employer demand that you come to work because they are 'short staffed' and then get sent home when there is nothing for you to do so that you have literally lost money by answering your goddamned phone?  I once worked for a company that did that on a weekly basis.  When I started screening my calls, they sent a supervisor who lived nearby to get me.  He got to stay and do paperwork and I still got sent home.

Ever have a co-worker decide that she didn't like you and go on a campaign to get you to quit or get fired?  I have, more than once.  Women are infamous for engaging in that behavior.  It's called 'mobbing' and it's a type of harassment that is completely unacknowledged in this country.  Ever have a supervisor lock himself in his office for hours on end and then blame you when things went wrong and you failed to inform him?  Ever work for someone who did drugs in his car or her office so they had violent mood swings and yelled at everyone when they were pressured?  Ever get pressured to work a split shift and get threatened with termination if you complained?  Ever have a company make it impossible for you to cash out your vacation pay when you quit?  Ever get screwed out of your breaks on a regular basis?  Ever have the stellar work you do get ignored or have credit go to someone else but, have every mistake blown out of proportion so grossly you felt like you were personally guilty of causing the downfall of Western Civilization?

I worked for one company where the manager of the office liked to remind us, daily, that we were lucky to have jobs.  As if that made up for the fact our job was harder because he was not staying on top of his.  The last office job I worked I was hired to do one thing and then trained to do something else when I actually started to work.  Bait and switch hiring is actually pretty common in the U.S.  Ever told that there is room for advancement and then find out it was a complete lie once you started working?

Phone sex is not a perfect solution.  The Downer regularly drives PSOs away with constant criticism and unreasonable expectations.  The callers can be a drag.  It is work and requires an enormous amount of diligence and creativity.  However, I work for home so I have all but eliminated transportation and wardrobe costs.  I set my own hours so I can work at my peak times and avoid the Downer as much as possible.  The staffing company requires minimum hours but, I can work as much or as little as I want beyond that.  If I manage my work time carefully, I can cover my financial needs and avoid the constant stress that destroys my health.

I don't love my job but, I am content with being a PSO.  It gives me more freedom than I've had in longer than I care to think of and it allows me the serenity I need to focus on the things that are important to me.  And that counts for a lot.