Quote:
Originally Posted by Beasting
I'm currently self-studying web development at home. It's going to take me about a year before I could begin the job seeking process. I am not sure being a developer is something I will enjoy, but ATM it seems like the best career path for me. But the problem with that is it means one more year at home, and I'm not sure I can take that. Every time I see my friends' FB or LinkedIn accounts, and see how successful they are with their careers, I get extremely depressed. I live in the Silicon Valley… most everyone I know here is making good money and is "important" to their respective tech companies. It makes me feel totally left out. I wish I had begun a conventional career path out of college. So I'm doing what I can to get myself in the game, but another year at home is a scary thought. I might be better served just going out and getting a job today--any job. It would have to be something stupid like flipping burgers, retail, waiter, etc. It would also delay my getting going as a web developer, but perhaps it's necessary. And as stated earlier, I'm not even sure web dev is for me. But it seems interesting enough. I'm a good problem-solver/logic puzzle type, and it's one of the only avenues remaining available to me that lead to a "good career". Has anyone else been in a similar situation, that could offer some advice?
Yes, I was in the exact same situation a few years back in SF. Had no idea what I wanted to do but knew poker long term wouldn't make me happy. My direct group of friends were having tons of success in the business world. I ended up getting a job as a bottom feeder at a tech company doing sales, got promoted a couple times and decided to quit to start my own business.
Here's my take on the situation: First off stop looking at peoples social media or Linkedin to determine their levels of happiness or success.
It's perfectly ok to not know what you want to do and in most cases you won't know until you just do something. Don't look at getting a job as your next identity, that's not what it is. It's a learning process where you see how businesses operate, meet new people (HUGE), and potentially discover new opportunities down the line. For those of you who say you have no skills that's bs. If you're smart enough to beat online poker then guess what, you're ***** smart! The real question is how much drive and ambition do you have?
Again, my advice is to get out and start applying for jobs in fields that may spark interest (tech, marketing, finance etc). You'll need to get good at the interview process and be able to correlate the skills required in poker to what you're applying for. Be confident in yourself and expect to get declined offers at first. Interviewing is a skill you'll develop with practice.
None of you will regret leaving poker as your main source of income and you'll always have the option to play for fun/side$$