So i dropped out of school today...

[ggbman]

Wow, didn't expect this. I honestly don't think it's a great idea. Back in November when i had my 100k month i thought about it too, but in reality, there are so many reasons not to.

1.) You're running very hot right now. What's the longest breakeven stretch you've had latley? Have you done 30k? 50k? 100k? Eventually you will, and playing poker for the next 20-40 years won't seem so appealing. I don't know what your worth right now, but your gonna have to make 7-8 before you retire if you want to live an a privledged, reasonably above average lifestyle. Anyone can run hot and make 100k, but not everyone can keep their composure when running worse than ever.

2.) Your going to miss out on a lot of social benefits of college

3.) You will be a total pimp in college and chicks/guys will worship you for what you do, it's cool

4.) You will have solid options outside of poker. This is good for your sanity

That said, while i don't agree with your choice, i obviously wish you the best of luck except when i am to your right, in which case i hope you miss flops like you did last night [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[whodaman]

what ggbman says is correct.
I think your making a mistake, but good luck.

[newhizzle]

gabe,

just to clarify, this is not a decision that was made on a whim in the past week or something, i have been considering this for a while and at the beginning of this month i was actually having my worst month ever(its been a wild month)

while running well recently certainly has contributed to it, the main reason i am dropping out right now is because i really just dont have the motivation to do the work at the moment(and i didnt when i was down 40k for the month either)

i felt like i was wasting my time and i was not putting in the effort to get good grades, perhaps in the future, this will change, but i really think it is in my best interest to not go to school if i am not going to be devoted

i may end up coming back at some point, but for now i just want to pursue this and see where it takes me

you make good points and these are all things that i have considered in making my decision

i broke even for most of december, but i have also changed a lot of things in my game since then, at the beginning of this month i was having absolutely rediculous swings and i defiantely was out of my mind for a week or so, but i can handle it, and i think i am better psychologically conditioned because of it, i have not had a 100k breakeven stretch, but if it happens i am sure i will be able to deal with it

as far as the social aspects of college, my friends in chapel hill are rowdy as hell and i have a lot more fun on my breaks than i do when i am here, as i have said before, i generally play a lot less online poker when i am home

the decision has already been made and i have put a lot of thought into making it, but thanks for the input

[MyTurn2Raise]

I wish you luck

I dropped out of my PhD program and have not once regretted it
Not quite the same, but still an optimistic outlook for you

[RunDownHouse]

NW,

no offense, but if you manage to save up $100k or so over whatever time period, you'll be able to go to a much better college when/if you do decide to go back. That being the case, I commend your courage and wish you luck. The degree part of college is nothing more than a signalling device that can be had easily at any time you want, and if you're ok with changing your social life, more power to you.

I think a lot of the people saying, "OMG you have to have a degree!" are focusing way too much on the having the degree part and hardly at all on the difficulty of getting said degree.

[Tony_P]

hizzle,

good luck

tony

[SmileyEH]

I took a voluntary academic withdrawl last year - basically dropping out but I can pick up where I left off whenever I want. I had the exact same motivation as you - doing poorly in classes, uninterested, not enjoying the college environment etc. etc. Playing poker and having a good income was just the means to an end, since leaving I've traveled throughout Europe and now I live in Prague. I don't feel as though I'm "wasting" my time by not staying on the college degree track (i'm learning czech as well fwiw).

The bottom line is if school isn't for you at this time there's no point forcing yourself to be there - I don't see much of a difference if I graduate when I'm 22 or when I'm 25. In the meantime I'm going to have a lot of great experiences and when I eventually do return I'll hopefully have a new and positive outlook on getting my degree.

-SmileyEH

[A_C_Slater]

Good for you. Colleges are nothing more than middle class institutions.

[toss]

Good luck, don't hesistate to go back to school.

[klepto]

wise decision, seriously. put a down payment on a house immediately. save about 3-5k a month for venture capitalism. that's pretty much it.