The New Education - Dropping Out to Play Poker Article
 

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The New Education - Dropping Out to Play Poker

Re: The New Education - Dropping Out to Play Poker Article
 

Because dropping out to take drugs and follow a band around is so passé...







Seriously, though, my response as an ancient 42 year old (and parent) is that the author would be better off just finishing his degree. There will always be poker, especially with the ubiquity of online games and the expansion of casino gambling into almost every part of the country. Poker isn't going away, but you are only young once, and it's much easier to complete a college degree when you're young and otherwise unencumbered. And a college degree is a nice thing to have. It may be heresy to say it, especially on this site, but there is much more to life than playing poker.

God do I feel old... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: The New Education - Dropping Out to Play Poker Article
 

Ditto as a fellow 42 year old (new) parent. Things get complicated once a family gets involved.

Re: The New Education - Dropping Out to Play Poker Article
 

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Seriously, though, my response as an ancient 42 year old (and parent) is that the author would be better off just finishing his degree. There will always be poker, especially with the ubiquity of online games and the expansion of casino gambling into almost every part of the country. Poker isn't going away, but you are only young once, and it's much easier to complete a college degree when you're young and otherwise unencumbered. And a college degree is a nice thing to have. It may be heresy to say it, especially on this site, but there is much more to life than playing poker.


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It's pretty clear that author of the article knows the whole overlay as far as finishing school/having a real job goes. Plus it's not really what the OP was asking; your response wasn't really about the content of the article but rather to the content of its writer's decisions about his path in occupational life.

That said, it is definitely a well-written article and could help people who are headed along the same path to take greater stock of their situation by comparing their own to that of someone who has been through the experiences that they are about to embark on. I certainly agree that life is about much more than poker, but Sharko doesn't say anything contrary to this, and in fact he supports it. He clearly states that in order to be able to make it in poker you must have solid and stable footing in the other areas of your life.

To me it seems like the whole argument about playing poker as a career that is so frequently discussed on these forums is skewed in the fact that a career in poker = a life in poker. True, one's source of income plays an enormous factor in what options will be available in life. But it's not as if there will never be options if you dabble in splashing chips around for a while. Similarly, the comment about being young and unencumbered is vexing to me. Higher education will always be there as well, even more so than poker. The craze that is poker will die out eventually, Internet gambling may be banned in this country or have serious restrictions placed on it, and the fish will try something new at some point after losing enough $. These points have been discussed at length by many already. But what is often left out is that you can go to school and get a degree at any time you want. What encumbrances are going to hold you back?

The problem here is with the idea in our society that you have to finish college in 4 years and be a part of the workforce by age 25 in order to be a legitimate citizen. But the traditional job path of starting early, working your way up, becoming a VP or CEO and then retiring at 65 has been going by the wayside for quite some time now and will only continue to do so. People change jobs as much as they change cars nowadays. Frankly there isn't a whole load of difference between playing cards for a year or two and taking an entry level position as long as that same year or two is of no great consequence to you.

Re: The New Education - Dropping Out to Play Poker Article
 

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It's pretty clear that author of the article knows the whole overlay as far as finishing school/having a real job goes. Plus it's not really what the OP was asking; your response wasn't really about the content of the article but rather to the content of its writer's decisions about his path in occupational life.

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The OP is titled "The New Education - Dropping Out to Play Poker Article", and the OP stated, in its entirety, "Share your thoughts on this article." So I think sharing my thoughts on dropping out to play poker is entirely on topic.

Yes, the original article is well written (or at least well edited), albeit a bit dry from someone who claims to admire HST. And yes, the author has given some thought to the school/poker/job dilemma. I think this is his most telling paragraph:

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I haven’t been back to school since last summer. Leaving school really wasn’t a conscious decision. I just got involved in my poker career and never bothered to go back. Let me make this clear. I’m in no way advocating leaving college to pursue a professional poker career. It was just chance that the time when my poker career required the most attention from me was when my college career required the least. The transition was easy and almost accidental. I have every intention of returning to the University of Pittsburgh and completing a B.S. in journalism or creative writing, but for now I have other priorities.

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If I take him at face value, he seems to have the intention of finishing his degree, but (and this is my whole point) he will likely find it a lot harder to go back and actually do this than he realizes.

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He clearly states that in order to be able to make it in poker you must have solid and stable footing in the other areas of your life.

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Well, I must have missed that passage; I didn't glean anything like that from the article. What I read was a fairly typical character arc; it could have come straight from Rounders: early success-> more success-> hubris/complacency-> fall-from-grace-> humility/regrouping-> hard work pays off. I am happy for him that he has regrouped and is a winning player, but I can't make the leap from his description to the conclusion that "in order to be able to make it in poker you must have solid and stable footing in the other areas of your life."

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To me it seems like the whole argument about playing poker as a career that is so frequently discussed on these forums is skewed in the fact that a career in poker = a life in poker. True, one's source of income plays an enormous factor in what options will be available in life. But it's not as if there will never be options if you dabble in splashing chips around for a while. Similarly, the comment about being young and unencumbered is vexing to me. Higher education will always be there as well, even more so than poker. The craze that is poker will die out eventually, Internet gambling may be banned in this country or have serious restrictions placed on it, and the fish will try something new at some point after losing enough $. These points have been discussed at length by many already. But what is often left out is that you can go to school and get a degree at any time you want. What encumbrances are going to hold you back?

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Have any kids? Do ever want to have any kids? If you do, you'll find that it's very hard to raise young children and complete a college education. It isn't impossible, but the combination of meeting their needs and keeping your own sanity makes it hard to concentrate on abstract things like studying for classes. This is why it's a lot easier to complete college when you are "unencumbered." While it's true that you can always go back to school, it's misleading to think that you would always want to.

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The problem here is with the idea in our society that you have to finish college in 4 years and be a part of the workforce by age 25 in order to be a legitimate citizen. But the traditional job path of starting early, working your way up, becoming a VP or CEO and then retiring at 65 has been going by the wayside for quite some time now and will only continue to do so. People change jobs as much as they change cars nowadays. Frankly there isn't a whole load of difference between playing cards for a year or two and taking an entry level position as long as that same year or two is of no great consequence to you.

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I agree with you -- the old corporate model is dead, most people change careers every 5-7 years, and spending a year or two playing cards is no worse than taking some entry level position with OmniGlobalMegaCorp.

However, I must return to my original point: if you're going to complete your degree, do it while you are young, because as you get older, your life will become more complicated and it will (generally) become less likely that you will go back and actually complete that degree. And a degree is still an important thing to have in our society -- it opens doors, demonstrates the ability to complete a long range goal, and teaches you the process of thinking and reasoning -- skills that, coincidently, will help you later in life if you decide to pursue a career playing poker.

I would never tell Sharko to stop playing cards -- hell, that's why we're on this site. But his article did not convince me that he had made a wise decision. He explained his circumstances, he described some highs and lows, he offered proof of his dedication and desire for continual improvement, but in the end, I was not convinced that his decision was one that I would advocate, as I think the short term gains are outweighed by the long terms risk/cost of not completing a degree. Maybe I'm just an old fart, but that was my conclusion, and my thoughts on this article.

My .02 cents.

Re: The New Education - Dropping Out to Play Poker Article
 

I'm not gonna lie - I'm eager to read a few columns - looks interesting - could go a lot of cool directions...

RB

Re: The New Education - Dropping Out to Play Poker Article
 

I lived it, but it was fun to read again.