I'm going to get flamed: Day Job vs. Poker...

[Python49]

Uhhh.. the greatest value to playing poker versus a job is the FREEDOM... obv. Go where you want, play when you want, take vacations whenever, etc.

[Oliver Nipples]

One downside is if/when you bust, a multi year gap in your resume where you played poker full time may not make you that marketable in the job market.

[bills427]

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Thanks.. some good insight here. I really appreciate all the responses and different opinions and views. I think just like every other job it depends a lot on the person and how much they enjoy the work.

To be honest when I'm hot I love it and can't get enough, but when I'm on a downswing full of coolers I'd rather go hang out with friends than play and that's a tell.

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check your PM's

[NickyC]

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One downside is if/when you bust, a multi year gap in your resume where you played poker full time may not make you that marketable in the job market.

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Understatement of the year.

As well, even if you don't bust and just get by on what you make from poker, what happens in 6+ years or whatever if you just get bored from poker? What if you don't want to play anymore? How the hell do you get a good job after wasting the past 6 years of your life?

The very simple fact of the matter is, the great majority of people who don't play poker (employers) view poker as straight up degenerate gambling. You think a possible employer is going to take the time in an interview to listen to you talk about odds, ranges, and reads? As soon as the words "I've been playing poker professionally for the past 6 years" comes out of your mouth, their ears are closed and your resume is in the trash. As well, nobody is going to believe you when you say you've been making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, have tons of personal freedom, but now you're bored and want to give it all up to hump a $35k year job working 45hrs a week in a cubicle. Riiiiiight. They'll know the real story, that you're a lazy ass bum degen who just blew through his last wad of borrowed money and is now forced to take a job to get out of debt.

This whole topic is just retarded, stay in school and get a real job.

[sonneti]

F the haters, live the dream. If you burn out, so what?

Playing professionally doesn't exclude you from every decent job available. I've had good job offers & I'm in business with people who know exactly what I do.

A lot of people here seem to think if you don't start working straight from university you are at some major disadvantage for life. You aren't. There are a bjillion different lines you can take through life, skipping out a few years doing whatever isn't going to make any real difference to anything.

[jedi]

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Not that my opinion matters, but the best advice I can give you is get a real job, advance your career, and make poker a hobby.

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QFT

[bogey1]

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A lot of people here seem to think if you don't start working straight from university you are at some major disadvantage for life. You aren't.

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Very read dependent.

I write software. I might have been able to take a couple years off after university (and why the [censored] does everyone think it's only the young college students that think of going pro?).

I couldn't take years off now. Tech moves fast. If I had a 2 year gap on my resume, I'd be hard pressed to get a software job again. My skills would be deemed out of date and my industry knowledge lagging (though, really, it wouldn't take me long to ramp up again, but that's the perception).

My committment to software would also be in question, making it harder for me to get a job.

If it's "go pro" vs. "random crap job", that's one thing. But if it's go pro vs a pretty decent professional careeer, that's a whole different level of trade off. And if it's go pro vs. dropping a proven technical career, that's a huge tradeoff that needs serious thought.

[that_pope]

I just got my master’s degree this spring, and started a full time job right away (I was an Intern at the company beforehand). While I don’t enjoy working nearly as much as I enjoy poker, I know that having poker as a job would probably decrease my winrate from the increased hours of play and the repetitiveness of it. It would turn into a job, and become a grind. While I would be able to make more playing poker than at my job, I will probably make more with my job + poker, than either one exclusively. Don’t underestimate the power of not playing with rent money and the benefits it has on your game.

Ten years or so down the road, I hope I can retire from this job, and become a stay at home father, and play poker on the side as my contribution to the income. My girlfriend is very serious about her job, and would never give it up, and I am not too keen on daycares or other forms of substitute parenting. The first 5-6 years would be the toughest, but one they (not sure if it will be plural!) get into school, I would have plenty of time to go to the casino 3-4 times a week and crush the 20/40 (probably 40/80 or 60/120 by then) games. But even that is just a dream at this point, but not working is my life goal. I don’t want to work until I turn 60 or whatever, and then be too old to enjoy life. Give life to me now!

[TheGame1020]

I'm a college dropout the last real job I had was busing tables when I had just turned 18. Hardest thing about being a pro is dealing with the variance and putting in the hours. Best thing is the freedom that you never have to wake up really and you can basically do anything you want. You can play anywhere in the world.

To the person who wrote not having healthcare is a huge drawback this ridiculous you would rather make 50k a year with healtcare benefits than 200k without, healthcare is not that expensive even if you get the best possible coverage especially if you are making professional poker player type money.

[XxGeneralxX]

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Jobs are for Suckers.

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Im 21 and im not a pro although poker is my only source of income. I have never had a job in my entire life, and I plan on keeping it that way.

Benifits of Poker (besides money)

being your own boss / hot asian gold diggers

What's the hardest thing about turning pro?

I would assume it is being able to hold yourself together and constantly get better. Alot of good players have a bad week/month and and completely self destruct. A top pro can handle the swings and also strives to improve his game