[lennytheduck]

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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.