quiting my job for poker was a bad idea

[mj2]

7 months into playing poker full time, and i'm very frustrated. I feel like i've learned so much over the last several months, yet my best month playing full time was my first month. My statistics have gotten much better but my results have not. If your poker stats seem to be in the correct range, where do you then go if you're still struggling? Also, and more importantly, has anyone quit a good job to play poker and then gone back to working after about a year? If so, how did you explain that on your resume? I worked as an accountant and also as an investment analyst, and i'm guessing that most employers won't be impressed that instead of working for the last year, i've been playing online poker.

[whiskeytown]

lie - I dunno - say you were on sabbatical in Switzerland or something -

won't say I told you so - but maybe now you'll have a bit more respect when we say, keep the day job.

RB

[mackthefork]

Yeah sticking with the 9-5 is safest, whats done is done though, you can lie, its easy. I had a year I needed to get rid of on my CV from my late teens, all I do is use years for the dates of early stuff and then progress to years and months later on, it all looks neat with no gaps, and no awkward questions. Seeming as your gap is recent you need to come up with a different idea to that, but there are many ways, just make it something you won't have to talk to people about, lies have a way of getting out of hand and [censored] up your head. Good luck.

Regards Mack

[FMMonty]

When I had a 9 month gap in my CV, I jsut did the classic of saying I wanted to see the world, I traveled everywhere, South America, Africa, Asia etc... And tehn say you're glad you did it, and now that it's out of your system you can get back to work, employers love that stuff trust me!

[BarronVangorToth]

[ QUOTE ]
When I had a 9 month gap in my CV, I jsut did the classic of saying I wanted to see the world, I traveled everywhere, South America, Africa, Asia etc... And tehn say you're glad you did it, and now that it's out of your system you can get back to work, employers love that stuff trust me!

[/ QUOTE ]


Yes, employers love to be lied to.

Or not.

I would definitely suggest that IF it comes up (and it might not) that you instead just be vague about needing time off because if you start talking about countries you haven't been, you are bound to run into the one guy that's been to New Guinea twenty times and will start drilling you for information.

And then you are screwed.

Barron Vangor Toth
www.BarronVangorToth.com

[mackthefork]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes, employers love to be lied to.

Or not.

I would definitely suggest that IF it comes up (and it might not) that you instead just be vague about needing time off because if you start talking about countries you haven't been, you are bound to run into the one guy that's been to New Guinea twenty times and will start drilling you for information.

And then you are screwed.

Barron Vangor Toth


[/ QUOTE ]

Well yes that was my point, make it something that won't continuously come up in conversation, as for employers not liking being lied to, work is a two way thing each party gets benefits from the arrangement, they don't tell you everything, no need to feel bad about keeping a little back for yourself.

Regards Mack

[IggyWH]

I think the key is coming up with a lie that not only works great (IE not too many questions will be asked about it) but also makes you look good at the same time.

A good one to use if you can use it correctly is an illness in your family. You could say something to the effect of your mother had (whatever) surgery and wasn't able to do things on her own for a while so you took off work to take care of her. Only thing about an excuse like that is you have to make it understood that they are back to 100% and there is no chance of you having to take care of them in the future. So while you explain the gap, you're also get those "nice guy" brownie points.

[37offsuit]

You can say that you decided to start your own business but it failed, that you're ready to go back to work and that you have a new found respect and understanding for what it takes to run a business.

They aught to eat that brown stuff up like it's got the antidote in it.

[parappa]

Professional Poker is a business. Just say that you started your own business with (insert clever business terms here) investments. As an accountant, you likely know the clever business terms, but my point is that you can be almost completely honest and just fiddle the terms around a little. If you say the business failed, they're not going to ask you much about what it was out of politeness.

[FMMonty]

yeah good point, ignore me, the advantage i had was that i did do a litttle bit of travelling and i'ev been to all the places i said, just told a little white lie for how long, two weeks turns into two months, another week is three weeks and so on

back up would helpful
I was hungover and not thinking straight when i wrote that post