10-15 years ago going to college was a great idea.

Think about that sentence for a minute.

All these micro stakes advisors are wrong. When I was young, I made a living playing poker because that was the only way to put myself through college. I owe everything I have to Poker and my Ph.D. My parents left town, and things were so tough that I almost worked. Running a poker game and playing high stakes got me through college. It took eight years to get my first of three degrees, but I kept my eye on the prize. Poker will always be there waiting for you. I think a guy that would ask this question does not have the "grift sense" or cunning for poker.

i think it is the guy who is doing it and not the guy asking whether it is possible that succeeds at going pro

you can play 60k hands a month during school (minus the exam filled months), and still have a good social life, and do well in classes. Obviously there is some sacrifice to social life but that is true for all jobs.

I would finish school if I were you.

Unless you take a super-demanding curriculum...
And make a near total commitment to a profession...
So we are talking about a 10 year commitment...
You are wasting your time in school.

a good idea also is if you have a good part time job that pays for rent and playing part time. it takes alot of pressure out of grinding it out and having that feeling of needing to win etc. rb helps too.

im 24 and quit my job bc it makes me hate my life but i dont want to play fulltime either. the problem is being able to afford college while playing. you could easily go through your 30k BR if you have a downswing. and youd have to go through with a 4 year degree which if youre playing part time would really take more then 6 prob. but i guess if i had a degree even at 30 it would be ok.

its either part time job or part time student...

if you go student, you better ****in graduate and its going to be a long rode part time..

only if you are a very bright person is school a waste of time imo.

A structured educational environment...
May help some people create properly constructed thoughts...
And place them on paper...
So that they can get a job.
Can someone please explain...
The discrepancies in pay between those with a college degree...
And those who have only ever completed high school...
And then tell me school is wasting time?

In the U.S., college is the new high school. If you don't complete college, outside of having family connections or taking a strong initiative, you are gonna have a hard time finding a good job. Also, you definitely don't have to go to school for ten years to make the investment worth it.

Out of curiosity, has someone on this board ever quit school (or graduated), attempted to play poker professionally for around two years, and then tried to find a job after? How does being "off the grid", so to speak, affect the search for work?

If you don't have any major financial commitments and are a winning player then doing the poker thing should be a no-brainer.

These guys are way over hyping the $40K-job-in-a-cubicle that awaits you after college.

how many players are going to make 40k adjusted for inflation every year for the next 40 years?

don't know what u guys study, but i can hardly play any poker during university

oh no

Its very very hard to make it but if you have the right personality and decent intelligence you can make it. I think the hard part is the personality part tbh.

I've found balance but its still hard to maintain that balance.

Poker will be harder every year, but that doesnt mean there's money to be made. If you're a 200NL reg and thats the highest you think you can go then you may have some hard times in the future if I had to guess when other higher limit regs start dropping down into your pool but you can always learn to play MTTS or something... but you may be able to make enuf money before that happens as well and invest/open a business which is what I plan to do.

if you arent passionate about a subject then college is just a way for you to shut off your brain and coast into a 40k a year job then you can shut off your brain some more

go to work every day
advance a little bit
get a raise
then retire


the college--> job route is for lazy/dumb people to be a part of society without ever risking anything

unless you want to be a doctor/lawyer/engineer you dont need a degree to get a job in any other field

college is a ticket into an entry level position

there is not a single entry level position that you cant talk your way into if you dont have a degree

most people get jobs through friends anyway so you dont need any qualifications for that

Can't you finish your university get a ***** degree and then try this Pro player thing!?

I would give anything to go back to school. I gratuated in 02 and it was the best time of my life. If you can win at poker there is no reason you can't do it in school with the amount of free time you have.....stay in school its not even close to a decision and provides a nice degree to fall back on should variance shine its ugly face on you.

you'd be better off going poker pro and then spending the time you would spend in school learning how to interact with people and sell yourself and getting a large circle of friends.

that would benefit you more than a college degree would.

but if you are going to go pro and spend 20 hours a week mindlessly playing poker and the rest of the time jerking off then you are better off going to college because you are a lazy person wit no ambition

ambition>college

why cant you do both? i think i made more while i was in school than out of school.

my wife is a PHD and college professor. she has had students do this. as far as she knows, none of them ever made it in poker.

QFT. Profitable, yes, interesting, no. I guess if you play really high cash this might not apply, other than that poker is pretty much the least fulfilling plus soulsucking (no matter what 2p2ers say, it is) thing you can do, bit I'm a grumpy **** who likes to complain so whatever, drop out.

An optimal line is nothing more than a mathematical solution. Referring to a mathematical solution as sexy is the most cringeworthy display of a nerd trying to be hip it makes me want to drench my monitor with digestive acids. That is all.

if you arent good enough to make it while a uni student, you sure as hell wont be able to make it once you have serious other commitments like marriage/business/etc

i think its a ****ing depressing idea

college is awesome because its not work and you are going to work a lot of years anyway so you might as well maximize your future earning potential and enjoy studying in the near term

wish someone had said that to me back in the day

the whole idea that "poker will always be there" is a fallacy. the people who were saying that 4 years ago that decided to take some time off and come back to it now are assuredly kicking themselves. the games are dying everyday and only getting worse. im sure plenty of people wish they hadn't taken it for granted 4-5 years ago.