[ggbman]

One issue that comes up a lot in these forums is young kids who are making large sums of money losing motivation and wanting to drop out of school. Generally people give responses like, "don't drop out of school, it's a bad idea."

It's something i have thought tons about, because the issue is very relevant to me, so i thought i would record my thoughts here, and hopefully the will help some people. First of all, i am a freshman at Bentley College. I have already made up my mind that i am going to at least finish my undergaduate degree, and attempt to maintain decent grades in school. In my opinion, if you are smart enough to be a top poker player, you are capable of balancing it with other parts of your life. The time when you play is flexible, and you can work around other obstacles.

Socially, i think it's hard to justify missing the college experience, it's a shitload of fun, and i know that I personally would have regrets for the rest of my life if i missed this experience. Also, having a financial alternative to poker is an excellent idea, and a good piece of mind.

I think some older people have trouble understanding the quandry some young players find themselves in. It's very difficult to be motivated to go to school when you make significantly more playing poker than you could expect to in the next 2 decades of your professional career. This kind of $$$ would skew anyone's perspective, let alone a kid, because it all just happens so fast. It is hard to give you're best effort to school, and that trivializes the eduational experience.

Personally, one of my goals next semester is to find a slightly better balance between poker and school. I think anyone who wants to do this can, and i kno its important to me. But not everyone is like, some people have different priorities.

Let me state unequivically that giving universal advice on this matter is ridiculous, each situation is different. If you are someone who forks over 35-40k a year for an education, doesn't attend class, and is in danger of failing out of school, then attending doesn't make much sense. If you literally cannot bring yourself to get to class, by all means drop out. You will save either you or your parents some serious $$$, and you will have time to make more money through poker as well as just relax because you have less responsibilities. I don't neccesarily think this is best, however i know there are some people who find themselves in circumstances similar to the aforementioned ones. In order for college to be a worthwhile expiernce, you have to at least want to get something out it.

I feel this was an important thing to write about because it is prevalent nowadays. I also feel i can relate well to some of these people because i am in the same boat. Dropping out of school would make me a lot of $$$. But i think i can make a lot anyway, and still have the college experieces that i want. If you are close to getting your degree, just grit your teeth and finish it out. If you still have a long way to go, i think you should try. But don't do it becaue a bunch of people on the internet had a good time in college and are telling you to, it's much different when you have a vialble alternative to finishing your education. Anything you want to do sucessfully in life will have to be done for the right reasons. Consider all the relevant factors and do what's best for you. Don't just think about $$$ though, we all know there is more to life than that.

Peace,

Gabe