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

[GrekeHaus]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If you get a PhD in something then you will be qualified to conduct research in the area that you've chosen.

[/ QUOTE ]

Meh, having a Ph.D. and doing research isn't that great. That's mostly what I do for a living, and I am about to quit to play poker and bet sports.

Note: I already have the Ph.D. so I can go back to work if I want. That's why I said having options is important.

[/ QUOTE ]

Right, I'm not trying to say that he shouldn't play poker professionally at some point in his life. What I was trying to do was dispel the myth that achieving financial independence throught being an online poker pro was the paradigm of freedom. I feel that quite the opposite is true. If you concede early in your life that you're going to make a living through poker then you'll always be tied to that as a source of income. If you ever get bored with it you're stuck.

The best way to achieve true freedom IMO is to develop a variety of skills early in life. This is exactly what you can do in college assuming you take advantage of different opportunities the school provides.

My father is a great example of someone who did this. He's been a computer programmer his entire life but recently took an early retirement to start teaching music. Because he had skills in multiple areas, he was able to change directions in life, even at a later age.

[ilikeaces]

fieryjustice,
I am in basically the same situation as you as I dropped out of college as of this year and am very happy with my descsion. GL 2 u

[raptor517]

jesus christ theres a lot of responses.. ill read those later.. anyways.. heres my thoughts..

ok, so i did what everyone is talking about doing or currently doing. i dropped out of school last year to play online poker. great. did awesome, made good money, blew it all in vegas over and over, rinse repeat blah blah. then, i got bored. yes. sitting alone on a comp day in day out is actually boring. damn. so now here i am, just getting back from the first day of class at TCU, and damn, those girls are fine.

ANYWAYS.. if you lose yer full ride.. dont drop out. talk to a psych and get them to tell the school yer depressed. in essence, you will be taking medical leave, and that can be good for 2 years maybe. i duno, if yer not motivated at all, schools not gonna work. im goin back with a much better attitude now, even if i could care less what they have to teach me. i know i can make money doing a lot of things, so im not too worried about it.

i duno, you gotta do what YOU want to do and what YOU feel is righ. forget about everyone else. it makes me sick when people make decisions that they dont want to do but because its what they think everyone else wants them to do. u know yer good at poker. u know u can dominate. but, you should also know that the amount of effort and dedication you are putting into poker now, can be put into something else, in the business world for instance, and potentially do even better for you.

im just kinda rambling cuz i been cooped up in a tiny desk all day without 4 big screens lookin at me.. and without any forum to mess around on. SO ANYWAYS.. thats my food for thought. hope its tasty. holla

[raptor517]

[ QUOTE ]
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?

[/ QUOTE ]

lol, 100k is def not middle class. holla

[raptor517]

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seriously. college is a joke compared to grad programs (law, applied math, etc).

if he can't handle 4 years of college, well, he's just another lazy dolt. it's okay though we need more future car mechanics.

[/ QUOTE ]

maybe.. some people just dont focus their energy on school.. they use their skills for other things. doesnt make them a lazy dolt because school is boring and repetitive. holla

[johnnybeef]

[ QUOTE ]
jesus christ theres a lot of responses.. ill read those later.. anyways.. heres my thoughts..

ok, so i did what everyone is talking about doing or currently doing. i dropped out of school last year to play online poker. great. did awesome, made good money, blew it all in vegas over and over, rinse repeat blah blah. then, i got bored. yes. sitting alone on a comp day in day out is actually boring. damn. so now here i am, just getting back from the first day of class at TCU, and damn, those girls are fine.

ANYWAYS.. if you lose yer full ride.. dont drop out. talk to a psych and get them to tell the school yer depressed. in essence, you will be taking medical leave, and that can be good for 2 years maybe. i duno, if yer not motivated at all, schools not gonna work. im goin back with a much better attitude now, even if i could care less what they have to teach me. i know i can make money doing a lot of things, so im not too worried about it.

i duno, you gotta do what YOU want to do and what YOU feel is righ. forget about everyone else. it makes me sick when people make decisions that they dont want to do but because its what they think everyone else wants them to do. u know yer good at poker. u know u can dominate. but, you should also know that the amount of effort and dedication you are putting into poker now, can be put into something else, in the business world for instance, and potentially do even better for you.

im just kinda rambling cuz i been cooped up in a tiny desk all day without 4 big screens lookin at me.. and without any forum to mess around on. SO ANYWAYS.. thats my food for thought. hope its tasty. holla

[/ QUOTE ]

I've tried to post my thoughts at least 4 times today, but couldn't get anything to sound right. Raptor did it for me perfectly. Honestly dude, if you aren't into it, you won't do well. You will get burnt out eventually and realize that school is for you again. Take some time off. You are young, enjoy your youth.

[UMTerp]

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lol, 100k is def not middle class. holla

[/ QUOTE ]

Near a city it is, though maybe not down south. If you're living near SF, NY, DC, Chi, etc. $100K/year is certainly adequate, but nowhere near "upper-class".

Your first response was one of the best so far on this thread. If for no other reason, stay in college for the girls!!

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You are young, enjoy your youth.

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Yeah enjoy it because if you get your degree now, you won't finish unti1 you are 22: and we know that 22 = senior citizen/death bed.

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What's wrong with being a mechanic?

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Absolutely nothing if that's your kick. But if you think he's likely to be more happy as an auto mechanic then if he sticks it out in college you are delusional.

[/ QUOTE ] Even those intelligent enough to get through college can be quite happy as artisans and craftsmen. Very possibly happier than they would be in a profession requiring a four-year (or more) college degree.

[gumpzilla]

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Even those intelligent enough to get through college can be quite happy as artisans and craftsmen. Very possibly happier than they would be in a profession requiring a four-year (or more) college degree.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. I wish more people thought this way. One of the smarter guys I knew in high school dropped out of high school after sophomore year, got his GED immediately and then spent a few years learning how to blow glass. While it's pretty obvious that this is not the road to fame and fortune, he seemed really into it, and I think his willingness to take such a nonstandard course to do something he was interested in was pretty admirable.