The college kids not working..it makes me sick.....

[CrayZee]

[ QUOTE ]
I wont engage in an e-dick waving contest, but I if I wanted to you would lose.


[/ QUOTE ]

So who's up for a "sword fight"?

[GambleAB]

My buddy: "Hey want to read something that will make your head hurt?"
Me: "Always"

This thread is kind of pointless (what isn't? hahaha knee slap). People who think kids should stay in school aren't going to change their mine. People who think that kids are better off playing poker aren't going to change their mind. Kids that want to play poker aren't going to read this and suddently decide to look for a summer internship. But, because I enjoy beating dead horses, here is my take on everything:

I dropped out of college, started playing poker a few years after that, got good, got paid, got known, moved to vegas, have fun. Endured hardships along the way, but I still wouldn't do everything different. BUT, in my opinion, not many people are going to ave the good luck/fortune at the beginning of their career that I did. To people who are in college, I would advise to stay in school, go all out, get internships, enter the corporate world. There will always be poker. Part time, night time, weekends, vacations, ect, poker will always be available. To throw away a solid opportunity for your future for something with very little upward mobility is kind of short sighted. Did it work for some people? Yes, of course. Did it not work out for many others? Yep. Do you really want to take that 40/60 with your life for something that you can do part time ANYWAY? Just doesn't make a ton of sense to me. As someone whose had to put his tail between his legs and recant more than once in life, I can tell you that it isn't fun.

BUT on the other side of the coin, people have to make their own mistakes and find what works for them. Colege isn't for everyone, and I think it's a shame that some people struggle throught 4 (or 5 or 6 or 7) years of it just because of the dogma attached to it that "you have to go to college and get a good job". I agree that it is somewhat of an antiquated notion.

Basically what I'm trying to say is: do whats right for you. Listen to other people's advice, but take almost everything with a couple grains of salt. Basically, You take the good you take the bad you take them both and there you have......college.

[viper930]

I like this post and agree with what the guy is trying to say. For everyone who is brutally against it, I feel like you're taking it the wrong way. OP's advice is just that, advice. If the guy didn't give a flying [censored] about other younger members of the community it would have saved him maybe 15 minutes and some thinking to simply not make this post. I don't think its meant to target people and slam them, but to help them realize what priorities should come first for a college student.

Having said this, I'm a pre-med student in college right now and I find OP's advice fairly solid. Although I went hunting for internships and found a great one that I'll be working at this summer, I too considered at one point sitting on my ass at home and playing poker. I figured "more money than work, without the work, sounds pretty frickin coool." Despite the fact that I'd be making at least twice as much from poker as from the internship I'm taking, I realized that the experience involved would go a lot further than just a few thousand dollars.

Now, I have a few good friends that are just playing poker for the summer or at least considering it. I think that's perfectly fine under a few conditions:

1. If you're early on in your college career and you don't even know what you're going to end up doing. In this case, an internship in one field might just be a waste of time. Better playing poker than bagging fruit at the local grocery store.

2. If you weren't planning on getting an internship anyway because your field of interest doesnt really require advanced internships or a ton of experience before applying for your first job. In this case, if nobody else is going to care what you've been doing for your summer breaks, then you shouldnt either.

3. Like OP said, if you're making a RIDICULOUS amount of money playing cards.

Playing cards as your summer job isnt wrong, but if you're able to have more productive things lined up that put you in a better spot for your future career, dont throw that all away JUST to play poker. If you've got no obligations or other priorities, then it doesnt have to apply to you. Not everyone has to take the advice and not everyone has to fit themselves into the scenario.

I feel like this sums up and adds a bit to what OP was saying but maybe in a way that doesnt offend some people.

You know what just wasted more of my time than playing poker today though, making that longass response that nobody's even going to read, lol.

[Dominic]

[ QUOTE ]
I have 21 years of experience of not being a complete loser who everyone probably hates.

[/ QUOTE ]

wow. you just proved his point about maturity right here.

[KKsuited]

One more post on the subject due to the large response. I'll try to touch as many issues people raised as possible.

First off, thanks to Gamble, Strassa, Sirio and other pros who added there comments. Whether in agreement or not, there comments are obviously valid.

Now, several of you (including Strassa) did not read my first post correctly. Maybe you should go back and read it again. No where do I "laugh about being able to go play the WSOP" or "swing my big e-dick about how much money I make." I don't think I ever even say 1) how much money I make, or 2) the path I took to get here.

As for the WSOP, I won my way into a $1,500 event or my ass wouldn't be there. Do I have enough money to go blow it off in WSOP events? Absolutely not. Do I have enough to fly out, stay a week, play the event I won my way into, plus some cash games? Yes, but that's nothing unusual.

Gamble is mostly right when saying most kids feel one way or the other and it doesn't matter what I post. But, I have received some IM's and several people have posted their grades, made comments about getting internships, etc. If the post helps one person, I'm happy I made the post.

Do I think everyone should be like me? Absolutely not. I've gotten off to a good start in life, but I'm not the role model to everyone under 25, never said I was.

Most of the stuff I said are things that can work out for you if you work hard. Is everyone going to make $60k or $100,000 before they are 30? No, but it is possible, and it's actually much more likely than you going out and being the next hot shot poker player.

Most of these things got hijacked into "you can't make $60k out of school", "you don't bring home $10k if you make $150k", etc.... all issues that don't address the point of the post.

Anyway, if the post is thought provoking for you, I'm glad. If you think it's junk, that's fine too.

[loose passive]

This was the image in my head while reading these posts.

[Case Closed]

There is not much of a point but I still kinda want to add my two cents. Over this summer I will be only playing poker for my income. I have been playing poker for my sole income since I quit my job at the end of last summer. I played during college and was able to afford myself some of the nicer things while at school. That and I never worried about money and still had time to attend all my studies. I really doubt some employer down the line will worry about the fact that I did not work at Menards stacking lumber this summer. If they do care, well [censored] off I don't need to work for a boss who thinks things like are important.

There are many kids in my position, I am sure most of them have to occasional illusion of grandeur. But after a long grind, I am sure most of them will turn away from the game. I am sure I will. There is nothing wrong with this plan. Make some cash, have some fun, relax and live a good life before you're sucked into the machine and have to work for the man.

[NapoleonDolemite]

This is a very refreshing point of view. So basically, you're saying:
summer job/internship = 150k/yr job by the age of 30 > play poker for a living and be a loser that YOU'D LAUGH AT.

Congratulations on your wealth. Now try being less of a tool.

Do you have any clue how most people actually live? The average American is a wage slave who took the straight and narrow path that aristocrats like you preach about and will always be fighting just to get by.

It's hard to make it in poker, but worst case scenario someone fails and then ends up *gasp*..... not rich, just like 99% of the world.

[KKsuited]

[ QUOTE ]
This is a very refreshing point of view. So basically, you're saying:
summer job/internship = 150k/yr job by the age of 30 > play poker for a living and be a loser that YOU'D LAUGH AT.

Congratulations on your wealth. Now try being less of a tool.

Do you have any clue how most people actually live? The average American is a wage slave who took the straight and narrow path that aristocrats like you preach about and will always be fighting just to get by.

It's hard to make it in poker, but worst case scenario someone fails and then ends up *gasp*..... not rich, just like 99% of the world.

[/ QUOTE ]

apparently you didn't read my last post. Where do I say anything about my wealth? Where do I promise you'll make $150k before 30?

If this is a demonstration of your reading skills, I can promise you will not make $150k by age 30.

[Riina]

theres more to the issue than his the-way-society-works-point of view. Living life in the real world is an art. Not only in its monetary aspects, but in many others as well.

Part of life is getting kicked around, slapped around and being confronted with all the political crap people somehow try to build on every level, be it micro be it macro.

The art is to find your own self and the goals you set that derive from this. Getting stronger as much as the world tries to diffuse your scope. Finding a good balance in working with the mechanics of reality without abusing yourself and what you stand for. God knows i haven't got it down yet.

Now the OP has just one take on this, be it a bit lacking in imagination or guts imo, but of course there are infinite ways. However i agree with him on one thing,

you don't learn all this by clicking on your mouse all day. you just don't....

good luck at the tables [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] ,