Zara Dar, a former PhD student and advocate for women in science and technology, recently revealed her switch to becoming an adult content creator in her video titled "PhD dropout to OnlyFans model." Once known for her YouTube tutorials on machine learning and neural networks, Zara now describes her transition as a career switch and a gamble on her future.
Zara is a Texas-based YouTuber and former PhD student who became an OnlyFans model. According to her website, she describes herself as a "Texas-born and bred engineer" who was deeply committed to encouraging women in STEM fields. She has over 112,000 subscribers on YouTube and 58,100 followers on Instagram.
Zara also highlighted the limitations of traditional career paths, where individuals often work toward someone else's vision with little personal recognition or financial autonomy. While pursuing her master's degree in computer science at the University of Texas, Zara started exploring OnlyFans as a side project. The success she found on the platform surpassed her expectations, enabling her to earn over USD 1 million. "Thankfully, I avoided taking out any student loans. Now, I have an investment portfolio and am planning to buy my own house," she said, adding that the earnings allowed her to pay off her family’s mortgage and purchase a car.
Zara’s decision also derived from her desire to escape the limitations of academia. She wanted to focus on learning and creating content about topics that genuinely interested her. "Moving on to doing OnlyFans and content creation full-time… feels kind of like a gamble on the direction of my entire life," she remarked. Reflecting on her journey, Zara determined the average professor's annual salary of USD 100,000 with her newfound financial freedom. She expressed gratitude for the freedom her career shift has brought her, emphasising the rewards of carving her own path.