All these college kids who want to go pro

[7ontheline]

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet (I skimmed most of the thread) but this thread is like many others in which the people posting are a skewed sample. I would wager that the college student who is willing to study these forums, read poker strategy, and work on his game and can beat the game for a good amount is going to be a little offended that people are telling him he's making a big mistake.

Personally, I value my education, but it is obvious that everyone has different paths in life that they are willing/able to take. However, all of the college poker pros posting here should realize that most of these wannabe pros are likely not as talented or skilled as they are. They very wll may not be winning players, or not winning enough to make turning pro and dropping everything else a +EV move in life.

[hypermegachi]

dropping out of school is like playing a $100 MTT on a $100 bankroll...fine i'll be generous...$200 bankroll.

[LinusKS]

[ QUOTE ]


This is so true. For many. many students college is a joke - a glorified extension of high school.

Still , that piece of paper called a degree is necessary to get a decent job.

[/ QUOTE ]

It used to be a HS diploma is what a college degree is now. Pretty soon you'll need a PhD to be a waiter.

If people don't like college, they shouldn't be there. Not everyone is college material. If you don't appreciate the opportunity, you're probably wasting it.

[Viscant]

This is a great point and something I wanted to mention in my original post but didn't.

College isn't for everyone and poker isn't the only way out. I've been in college for awhile and I've seen a whole lot of people drop out for random reasons. My freshman year someone took a job at the radio station and decided college wasn't for him and took a low paying job in radio. I once knew a guy who took a summer job at a hardware store and kept saying how happy he was at the store, but he'd come back to college "next quarter". That was about 12 quarters ago. He still says it. I knew a guy who was good with computer programming. Same thing, he took a couple side jobs, saw that he was making the big money already and reasoned he didn't need a college degree and he walked. Middle of the quarter actually. Just quit going to classes and never looked back.

The point is, that lots of people realize college isn't for them. I think it really sucks that a college degree is the new high school degree because college really isn't for everyone. Lots of people aren't meant for education. I realize that the original poster and other very smart people are saying the right thing. When you have a chance to better your station in life and invest in yourself, you should take it without even thinking too hard about it. More education is always better. But there are a lot of people who are in college and looking for a way out, any way out. In this community you see these people saying that poker will save them. But that's no different than them finding a hardware store or a radio station or whatever else they latch onto.

It's a mistake, but I think it's an inevitable one.

[bambi]

Ok i understand where you are coming from, but this is how i see it.

If these college kids really enjoyed what they where studying at college, then they wouldnt even consider leaving, Right? So there must be something wrong with what they are doing.

The dont turn Pro thought is in every single sport in the world, Golf, Basketball, Football, the whole lot. There is always somebody there saying dont do it its bad. So i dont see poker being any different, and the whole poker is bad on society is a load of rubbish.

But what do you want us guys to do, i chose the whole go to work thing rather than college, I am god damn good at my job, better than most, But all i get is disrespect from the older generation, all because of age. I basically have to wait till i am 30 before my ideas and thoughts are even considered. So despite being great at my job i get know where until society sees me worthy, ie until i am older.

And society expects the younger generation to stand for this and wait until it is there turn. So why wouldnt we want to miss all that BS.

I am sorry if this has already been said, i only skimmed the thread

[Dan Mezick]

There is little doubt that the poker boom has created many college students with a gambling problem. However, I suspect any good debater could make a strong case for the notion that most of these same college students were predisposed to a gambling problem, and poker was far more accessible as an outlet compared to, say, even blackjack. Poker is simply the most accessible form of gambling right now in Western society.

Conversely, there is little doubt the poker boom has created many moderately successful poker players, players who have learned (and begun to master) the study of discipline, focus, personal psychology, statistics, systems development, money management, risk control, risk of ruin, game theory, mathematics, psychology of groups, and ethics, to name but a few.

Accordingly, if a job applicant showed 'em he played poker heavily part time for 2 years and therefore did not need to have a job per se, and could produce documentation to that effect showing annual profit, I'd want to learn more about this applicant as a hiring manager responsible for selecting the best applicants for any job that requires "thought".

Since a high percentage of successful people are familiar with poker, discussion of the game as an applicant can actually be a great icebreaker.

I think winning poker players make great employees. They are more keenly attuned to understanding others, and the intentions of others.

In the current poker boom, some moderately successful college players are doing some serious "life training".

[sumdumguy]

Curious.. are you employed in a capacity to hire employees?

[Dan Mezick]

I think any hiring manager that understands poker will NOT see successful poker playing as a negative for a job candidate.

Successful poker players that cut over to business are bankable in my view.

Playing poker successfully is highly correlated with general success (as measured by society at large) in my view.

[danzasmack]

what most people don't see the is the shell college creates around you. If you make a mistake in college you can fix it. no matter what % of you bankroll gets flushed down the toilet you still have a place to sleep at night. There is less stress invovled.

[toots]

What impresses me the most about this topic is the abject fear that so many college students seem to have at the prospect of going out into the "real world" and making a living like just about everyone else.

It is almost always painted in negative terms: you're going to be stuck in some cramped cublicle working for a little napoleon for crap wages with no future, doing some mindless empty task.

The truth is that it isn't always like that, and in fact, it probably isn't like that more often than it is. A lot of people are happy in their careers and get satisfaction out of their jobs and get paid decently. Generally, this is more possible if you have a college degree than if you don't.

Yet most of the arguments seem to assume that job/pay/career satisfaction is an impossibility, or at least impossibly rare.

To me, this is the saddest thing of all: the expectation of doom. If you don't allow the possibility of success or happiness, it probably won't happen, and it seems like so many are unwilling to be at all optimistic here.