Try to get me to stay in school....

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What's wrong with being a car mechanic?

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Nothing. Bad post on my part.

[Newt_Buggs]

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Alright, I told myself I would never ever post anything like this, as I have always been able to make good decisions in my life, but right now in college, I am not motivated at all and I dont want to end up with a bunch of Cs on my record. I guess I should give you a little bit of background on my schooling...
All through high school, I never needed to study to make As and Bs, so I didnt. Well, once I got to college, I quickly found out i would have to put in a little (note: more than I was willing) time to get an engineering degree. So, I decided to switch to something "easy" such as psychology. Well, I am to the point now where I cant even read a college book, as it is so unintresting to me...and this semester i can already tell I am going to have to put in some reading time and i honestly dont know if i can motivate myself to do that. Fwiw, I just became a junior this semester and my gpa is 3.7ish. I would hate to get 4 Cs this semester and mess that up.
So why not just quit? Well, I have a full scholarship and would lose that if i drop out, although money isnt really an issue to me. Thats another problem. I dont really see the point of going to college just to get a degree so I can make 50k/year working a 9-5 job while right now, I can work 20 hours a week whenever I want to and make at least 4 times that. My biggest worry is that somehow internet poker will become illegal and I will be screwed into putting in a lot of hours at a casino. If that happens, and I see I cant win at live play, I would go back to school. I am only 20 right now, so I cant practice my live play too much, which is perhaps a reason I am worried about it.
Well, I have no clue what to do. I guess I am going to talk to my parents about it. They will probably kill me. I just dont want to spend any more time doing something I hate than I have to and I also dont want to mess up my transcript with a bunch of bad grades just in case I need to return to college in the future.

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lol, [censored], this above post pretty much describes me. Same age, same gpa, same game (now that hes at the $109s). Thanks for everyone's responses here, I'm making sure that I bookmark this thread incase I start getting demoralized at school (I haven't started yet since I'm in the quarter system at UCSD). Thanks especially to uclabruins and skipper, you said some good things here.

To FJ, gl with whichever you decide to do. As you've probably found out talking to most people about your dilemma is useless because they can't truley understand your situation and what its like being 20 and making this kind of money playing a game. Anyway, gl with whichever you choose, I'll probably be seeing you plenty at the tables either way [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Try taking courses in statistics. That is very applicable to poker and will help you understand the game much better. If your school offers courses beyond Statistics 101, such as Intro to Probability.

Also, if you like poker, you probably would like investing/trading (similar to poker in some respects). If you school offers courses in finance like valuation, derivatives, fixed income, modern portfolio theory, etc, then you might really dig school because it will theoretically show you how to make money.

But he's not making alot of money. 100k is ok but it's not great. It's middle class. If it's true he makes $100k on just 20 hours a week (and that means consitently over several years - not negative $5k one month then + $10k the next month), then all I can say is, Where do I sign up?

[Isura]

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Thanks for everyone's responses here, I'm making sure that I bookmark this thread incase I start getting demoralized at school (I haven't started yet since I'm in the quarter system at UCSD)

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If you feel demoralized at UCSD, then frankly I don't feel very sorry for you. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Isura
(Who can't take another Canadian winter)

[rvg72]

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like the govt banning all gambling

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With the kind of money you are making you should leave the US if that were to happen... I'm assuming that this would be an option for you since you are 20 and likely don't have a lot tying you down. See the world and play poker on the beach in Bali.

rvg

[A_PLUS]

Somene of your intelligence can pull off a 3.0 GPA with no more than 15 hours a week. Semesters are typcially around 15 weeks.

College cost is apx 30K per year. It is rising somewhere around 5-10% higher than the rate of general inflation.

Right now, by passing on your scholarship you are costing yourself 67$/hr. If you decide to attend college in the future.

30,000 / 30 week school year = 1000$ a week. It would cost you 15 hours per week to earn your degree, so 66.67$/hr. you are passing up.

College costs are also going up at a rate of 5-10% higher than the rate of inflation. If we just assume a modest 5% increase. You are costing yourself 85$/hr in todays dollars by passing up a free education now.

Since 15 hours a week would hardly prevent you from playing as much poker as you wanted, you are just passing up free money.


****
That aside, I realize this decision has little to do with money for you. Your problem is that you are thinking of this in a very black and white way.

On one hand you have poker. It represents something you love, freedom, etc, etc. On the other you have college, which represents somehting you dont love, a 9-5 job, constraint.

Why give so much gravity to the situation. Why not think of college as just some thing you do. Like working out, or cleaning your house. It isnt like you are picking a career like acting, where taking your shot would require leaving college. You can easily do both. The 15 hours a week you spend studying/ in class will be boring, so what? I try to work out as often as I can. I hate it, but I do it, b/c I know in the long run it will make me better off. A college degree will never hurt you. Not having one, could be very harmful. so, stop thinking of it as this huge lifestyle choice.

Why should you stay in college:
Its free
It cant hurt
It may help me down the line
It doesnt take up too much time


Why not
It's boring
I dont like it


How about this for a question.

why cant you play poker and finish college? If I admit that I will probably never go back, why do I use a "I dont want to get all C's, b/c it may hurt me" excuse for quitting?

Just b/c you finish college doesnt mean you have to work 9-5 when you finish. However not finishing college can mean you wont get a 9-5 if you need one.

[GrekeHaus]

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Wtf??!?!?! How the [censored] is everyone unable to find *one* academic discipline that is more intellectually stimulating than poker?

Look....there is almost no way poker should be the most interesting/important thing going in in your life. [censored], drinking Heinekens and Las Vegas artistry should be *well* ahead - both very mindless and not mentally challenging pastimes.

If you can't find something in academia that isn't intersting...then you pretty much suck at life. I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure it's true. Now, you don't have to like 'school' but you sure as hell should be able to find something that is engaging and interesting to study if your recent life has been STTs morning/noon/night.

@#$%!@#$%@!#$

Suck it up and find something that excites you and pwn that [censored]. Stop being such a little batch....

STOP BEING A LITTLE BATCH!!!

Yugoslav
PS This goes *double* for Raptor...
PPS Since when was life about making 100k+/yr being a little mindless poker whore?!?!?!
PPS Baby jesus is crying all over the place, btw...

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I think Yugo summed up my thoughts pretty well. You've made nothing but bad life decisions since coming to college, and are on the verge of making another one.

Your decision to drop engineering because it was "too hard" is retarded. If everything in life were easy it would be extremely boring. Do you think anyone would be a math major if all they did was arithmetic? So you drop that for something that's "easier" and complain about having to write a 15-page paper on something that doesn't interest you.

If you want true freedom in life, the answer is more school, not dropping out and playing poker. If you get a PhD in something then you will be qualified to conduct research in the area that you've chosen. By the time you're 45 you'll be making as much or more than you'd be able to make playing poker. In addition, you'll have the added benefit that you'll be doing something where you're actually contributing to the world, you'll be able to get a ton of cool and interesting jobs, you will have the freedom to choose the direction of your own research, and of course, you can always quit and play poker if you want.

At least finishing up college will keep some doors open. It would be ridiculous to quit after coming so close. Go part time or whatever, but don't quit. I can pretty much guarantee you'll be pissed in 5 years if you do.

Along the path, there will be hard times and boring times. Such is life.

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I guess my only complaint is that most people see going to college as the only way to make it in life.

[/ QUOTE ]What is your idea of "making it in life"?

If you drop out of school, who else is gonna run the Gay and Lesbian Student Poker Club?