You get vacation? Take one or two days off a month (depending on how much vacay you get) and go to Vegas for a long weekend. Once a month. If you find you're making money in the few days you're there, try taking a week off and going out. If you make money that week, see about taking two weeks. It'll give you something to look forward to. Something to work for. Work will becomes your means of escape.

I'm in a similar position in terms of how I view my life right now, but there are things you can do to overcome it instead of just "throwing it all away" or "pulling up stakes and moving to Vegas." You're in a tremendous position to leverage the means at your disposal...give that a shot.

Shouldn't the economy make it easier for you to move considering your high paying job and liquid assets?

Not that my background or education is anywhere near yours but I too got to where I thought I wanted to be and found it was BS.

I worked my ass off in building and remodeling to the point I could start my own business, got married and have 2 kids. After 5yrs I had built the business into a respectable size and making really good money, only problem is I was totally stressed and unhappy. I grew up poor and have worked for anything I have ever owned, yet still the money was not the answer. I started to hate the business and the toll it was taking on me. I would wake up exhausted everyday and wanting out. Well after the Housing crisis work slowed down to the point I had more time to play and kept money coming in.
Long story short (like its not long already) I ended up moving my family here to Oklahoma from New England started a Handyman business and play more than I work now (we have tons of Indian Casinos with lots of Poker). I now take on jobs when I feel like it and play when I feel like it. I make a ton less money but couldnt be happier....Good luck youll figure it out!

i know the feeling. i'm only in my early twenties, having essentially begun your "life". i graduated from a top 10 university, i went to graduate school, i have a good job that pays well... though i know it is not my passion.

however, i also know that your job is just your job, not your life.

instead of the 9-7, maybe you should focus on instead trying to find a 9-5 that does something you truly care about, even if it pays less.

at the end of the day, poker is a game, a hobby. an achiever such as yourself knows that it is just a temporary escape from reality, or a clever mind diversion. you know that you aren't furthering anything important, or really ever going to look back on your life and be like, "damn i was proud of XXXXXXXXX" If you play poker that XXXXX might be "THE WAY I PLAYED THAT HAND."

REALLY MAN?

i don't want to judge, phil ivey is and will be more successful than i probably ever will. though i hope when i am older and look back on my life, it's something that i will be proud of.

what troubles me is the way you romanticized poker in your initial post, compared to how you painted your day to day life.

i hope you aren't using poker as just an excuse because you are burned out, afraid that your little hamster legs might falter.

a famous commencement speech quote which i like:

"The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself"

OP, I'm gonna turn 50 in 2 months. There are no secrets to happiness. Just do what you have to do. You're either going to suffer the consequences, or reap the rewards. In other words don't screw anybody over, but go do whatever you want to do.

My greatest pleasure comes from my kids' success though, so not having kids seems like a huge detriment to happiness in your elder years imo.

i was thinking of it more in terms of cutting the commute by getting a new job closer to where i live rather than moving closer to the job i hate.

likely the reason why i have not turned my alarm off and put in that notice yet, even though practically, i could.

you remind me of me a few years ago. hopefully you don't become quite as jaded.

appreciate the encouragement. and you are probably right (actually i know you are right).

Horrible idea. Move closer to work or get another job. Go to Vegas a couple times a month. Grow up.

Yeah drop some coin to get a better life with a shorter commute. Make your job more of a job and less of a obsession.

Work sucks, no doubt.

Poker sucks too though.

Start banging a new chick. That's always fun.

Op if I were you if start backing/buying pieces of poker players. This way you will have a connection to the poker world and have some fun sweats to distract you from your "boring" life.

Also op what does your wife say about all of this? Jw

By the way - 150k at 30 years old banked is pretty nice. I'd say you're probably ahead of of +97% of all people in the US.

I think I'm in a pretty good spot in life where I'm at. I make a good salary, my girl makes a better salary, and we do pretty much what we want. We don't have 150k banked cash (we have slightly more total though, retirement and crap).

Don't think that poker is your only option. 150k cash can do a wide variety of things. I'm not well versed in starting a business with credit and cash, but don't limit yourself to the idea of waking up late and playing a game to make money. You could very well have the ability to start a business and have people work for you and STILL have all the time to play poker that you want.

What I'm saying is you're in a very enviable position for being 30. Think it through.

Good luck with it. I could only wish I could be in that spot when I was 30.

A few posts ago someone told you to "grow up". Based on the above quoted, however, one could make the argument that "going for it" would be a form of growing up in its own right.

You've played the game and now it's time to do what you feel like doing. As long as you don't owe them financially, you are under no moral obligation to stay in a miserable situation simply to please your parents. Trying something different could be your unique way of "leaving the nest".

In the event you decide to go for it, you should seriously consider seeking a competent therapist that can advise you while adjusting to the new life. The feelings of guilt and irresponsibility will certainly weigh on your mind, and that is no good for poker. In fact, said feelings could subconsciously lead you to make counter-productive decisions, essentially creating a state of mental failure that ultimately routes you back to living the life that you are 'supposed' to live.

You are clearly a bright and successful individual; you don't need anyone's permission on whether or not YOU should do what YOU want with YOUR life. Rather, you should be seeking council on how to do it the right way. And other career opportunities will still be available in the event you get sick of the scene, wanna start a family, or whatever.

In terms of going about this in the most efficient manner, have you ever considered getting started by propping in one of the California card rooms? You'll still be punching a clock in a sense, but a guaranteed income while sharpening your skills has a lot to be said for it. And with your roll you could play at stakes where they would likely offer you more flexibility wrt to hours. It would also be a great way to learn games other than hold 'em.

Also, are you totally hung up on being in Vegas? Why not see the world while you are at it? Playing the Aviation Club in Paris, check out Macau, blah, blah, blah. (You've likely factored that in, but I thought I'd mention it since so many people see Vegas as the be-all and end-all of gambling.)

Again, I want to drive home what I intended to be the main point of this rambling; Your sole focus should be learning to feel comfortable doing whatever you want with your life. You answer to YOU- not your family, friends, society, or this forum. You've busted your ass to get ahead financially and you should enjoy the fruits of your labor on something other than just buying a goddamn house.

Given your success in school and the business world, and your apparent financial ability to withstand any downswings, being a winner at poker should be a simple matter of studying, paying attention, and making correct choices. (Assuming you don't any degen tendencies). So go live a little and worry about falling back in line with the rest of the pack later.