Need Life Advice Bad

[Felix_Nietsche]

OK.....your job sucks. The hours alone will make your quality of life lousy.


As for poker, do I really need to play 1000NL to make a living. I'm not planning to do this live. In an age of multi-tabling and rakeback is that really necessary.
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I don't play sites w/ rake back. Can you recommend any with decent table selection?


I haven't decided if I should specialize in one game or play many different ones.
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Good limit players can make 2 BB/hr. With rakeback and multi-tabling then MAYBE it is possible to make a living at lower levels. My goals are to specialize in NLHE(ring and 6-handed), Omaha Hi(ring and 6-handed), and eventually heads-up. In HU poker there are tons of macho players who blow tons of money trying to be macho in HU poker.

[lehighguy]

I play on Pacific for NL and eurobet for tournies. Pacific is really good, but perhaps it is getting less good these days. I ahve rakeback as well.

I'm currently trying to set up a rakeback at party and caribean.

[Utah]

I think you make an excellent point. I guess I was reacting a bit more to the common attitude of young kids who really hate their first jobs and they dont see enough into the future.

You can just open so many future doors in so many areas with Investment Banking experience on your resume. I think the same thing goes for those who spend several years in the soul sucking experience of being a "big 5" or BCG/McKenzie type consultant.

[jcx]

Money may not buy happiness, but it does create options. I'd rather bust my ass in my 20's and save up some money than goof off (which I did) and then be stuck in your 30's in a job you hate (like me) because you have a family to support and the job you currently have is all you are qualified to do that pays decent money.

Another thing to consider - in your 20's you are still full of vigor. You can work 10-12 hours, go out at night and still get up in the morning. I'm 33 and while that ain't old, there is a definite difference in my energy level from when I was 23.

My advice is to suck it up and take the job. Live on Top Ramen for a few years. In 5-7 years you can walk away from that job with enough saved to pay cash for a nice house (prob not in NYC, but in many cities in America). Then you can start your business (be it poker or something else) on a solid foundation, not with scared money.

Lastly, remember to count your blessings. Not too many new college grads are looking at making $100K+ 2 years into their 1st job. And don't ever underestimate the value of having F you money. It can make all the difference in the world. Good luck.

[lehighguy]

I know I couldn't do this for 5-7 years. I doubt I could do it for two. I hate going things I don't like, and that hate eventually spills over in performance. I'm 8th in my training class out of 80 on the exams, but I could easily be at least top three. It is so hard to stay and do more and more when you hate it. I may not be able to continue my current level of performance.

A similair thing happened when I switched to a finance major. I went from As to Cs. Not for lack of ability, but because I hated it so much I couldn't put up with it.

[evil_twin]

[ QUOTE ]
You can just open so many future doors in so many areas with Investment Banking experience on your resume. I think the same thing goes for those who spend several years in the soul sucking experience of being a "big 5" or BCG/McKenzie type consultant.

[/ QUOTE ]

I do agree with this of course, and I think my situation is probably the exception rather than the rule, but I felt it might have given the OP some alternative pespective.

For what it's worth to the OP, your posts really read like you've made up your mind and are having trouble admitting it to yourself. Just go for it and set a 9-12 month deadline when you'll decide to go back to your old career or not (which I assume will be at least somewhat possible?).

Good luck and don't second guess yourself, no one of us has a crystal ball and we just have to roll with the punches.

[Arnfinn Madsen]

I don't know enough about American worklife etc. to give any advice, but whatever you do: good luck!

[adios]

I've read most of the responses in this thread but not all so maybe someone has already stated this. My take is that if you were making more money and the hours weren't as long your job would be somewhat more tolerable at least. Why not hit your employers up for more money and less hours? If they blow you off find something else perhaps on Wall Street or somewhere else. If you get stonewalled by your employer then I think it offers a perfectly legitimate reason to seek employment elsewhere not that you needed one since IMO if someone offers something that's more desirable to you you're not obligated to stay. From my experience, company policies are not as rigid as employers make them appear to be. They'll bend if they value you and don't want to lose you. As far as poker is concerned, I think you probably want a bigger roll but if you're good enough and your nut is low you can make it on what you've got now. Personally I believe that you one should play many games well but NL hold'em does present some excellent opportunities so I couldn't fault one for pursuing that game. Limit hold'em is good too but the games have gotten tougher over the years IMO. I definitely wouldn't leave out Omaha, Omaha/8, Stud and Stud/8 if you're really thinking about making your living playing poker FWIW. I also wanted to comment on your being responsible, nothing wrong with that and IMO you're probably not missing a whole lot by being "irresponsible." So to sum it all up, IMO the advice to suck it up is ok but you don't have to bend over for your current employer either. To pursue poker, I think you probably need a bigger roll and perhaps need to be a little more well rounded in what you play. I realize plenty of posters on these forums make money by being specialists more or less but FWIW I don't think that's the easiest way.

[whiskeytown]

lehigh - have we met when I was in NYC in July - trying to remember if it was your apt. I saw - I should ask TT if we met you.

Here's my advice to you. Option 3 is a long shot - and you may hate that worse then your other job when you're done - some of those designers get worked non stop for weeks - some sue for back wages and overtime, etc...

Option 1 or 2 - You say Option 1 doesn't allow you to save, but how would quitting and jumping into Option 2 be either less stressful or any better? -

I really have to be honest - I almost have to say option 1 just by virtue of the fact options 2 and 3 are such long bombs.

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But I'm not gonna say option 1 - here's why.

1. - You're 22 - you've got plenty of time to fall hard on your ass and come out of it - as long as when you realize you can't win at #2, you get OUT, and fast.

I do think living in NYC and being a full time professional is a pretty unrealistic goal. I always thought if I was gonna turn pro, esp. online, I'd go move to some desolate internet connected place that I only paid half the rent I pay a month in Minneapolis. My good man, Brooks West, liked Fargo when he lived there cause it was so cheap to live and it wasn't expensive (back then) to drive long distances even to Minneapolis for gigs and back. As a person on a limited income (part time musician) - he made his bucks go further there. He paid maybe $300/month for a downtown apt. over a store a few years ago.

So I'd move there and try to make a run at it....but NOT in NYC unless this roommate situation pans out...

3. - I truly think you're going to change your mind AGAIN on what you want to do for a living or what you do for a career before you get settled down. While I'm sure the idea of getting married and knocking a girl up may not sound appealing at 22, sometimes it gets more so as you get older - and so you'll probably be making a change if that part of your life switches around.

If I were you...I would stick with option 1 and spend every waking minute of spare time on option 2 - improve your game - your ROI's are good - but I sorta feel like I'd expect to see better before a person goes pro. 1.5BB/hr is an acceptable rate in the old days, when you were playing on a live table with dealers, but I'd expect it to be almost double with double the number of expected hands per hour.

But you have to acquire one more attitude. You have to try to just let the stress blow off you while you're still doing #1 -

I think you're settled on doing #2, so while you're still saving and building the BR, just remember that - don't get stressed out - take in the tunes to work, take long lunch hrs and extra breaks - try to think like Office Space - LOL.

Best of luck to you - let us know what ya do.

RB

[whiskeytown]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm just smart. I'm not a genuis, but if you just plain smart then you are successful at most anything you do. It has a lot of numbers and logic, which are my strong suits. Most of my co-workers are just rich spoiled kids, how hard can it be to outperform them.

I've only ever actually been in one situation where I wasn't at the top of the curve, and that was in genuis high school.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're exactly describing my experience with Networking - being a "genius" isn't head knowledge per se, like who is the king of so and so in 1628, but it's analytical and rational thinking and problem solving - it's how quickly can you find the answer when you have no info right now.

That's why all IQ tests are written in such a way that it's nearly impossible to solve them in the alloted time - they can not only see how many you got right, but how many in a limited time period - this measures your real IQ - the more you can get done, because you're doing and finding quicker solutions to problems then other people.

It's hard to explain to other people how that works or how you're good at stuff, but it's really just like figuring out how to ride a bike, but with Ethernet packets or spreadsheets, in your case.

While you're at it, see if you qualify for MENSA [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

RB