Choosing the profession: software developer or poker player
Today we’ve decided to discuss the topic that would be interesting for young people aged 18-20. This is the time when we ask ourselves one of the life questions that matters the most: whom do I want to be? Let’s take a smart guy who’s recently graduated from high school recently. During his studies at school he was fond of math, visited programming courses and got himself prepared for entering the corresponding college.
Now he accidentally gets acquainted with poker. Get registered at the website and wins a little tournament earning a monthly wage of his parents in several hours. The idea in his head doesn’t allows him to get to sleep: should I waste several of the best years of my life for getting education? Maybe, I am some sort of genius that would be comfortable with making a leaving with gambling? Let’s get into it!
Education
We all know that to educate yourself as a programmer in the West is quite costly. Even in Russian it takes a lot of money. Depending on the length of the study (4 to 5 years), it costs $10 thousand dollars on average, considering spending for additional courses, visiting topical conferences etc. Plus one has to spend a lot of time for self-education, please, consider this as well. Becoming a good specialist is only possible if education and self-education are combined. One has to be ready for a long and uneasy road.
What is poker? When you are 18, it seems like it worth nothing to learn how to play. You just have to learn the rules, remember basic combinations, watch some poker videos on Youtube, and try some play at micro stakes or freerolls. We have a promising poker player here! Let us stop you right there. This doesn’t work this way. To achieve success in this industry, one has to learn constantly. Poker changes all the time, new formats of play appear, filed strength grows. One can’t just play, hope for luck and wait for the up streak. One has to learn all the time, whether it is poker school or private lessons taker from some pro as price for those sometimes reaches $400 per hour.
Income
We conditioned that our hero of the article is a clever and goal-oriented young man. As he graduates from college, he is able to work in a big IT company and have a salary of $500-$1,000 in IT company as an intern. He has social protection, stability and certainty to look forward. What about our poker player? It is the same gifted young man. He expected to have piles of money, travel around the world from series to series and not refuse of any goods in his life. I suppose he lives in a small rental flat in the company of like-ones “happy” people. He is in front of the huge screen, a pale, red-eyed from not enough sleep eyes, suffering fro the depression and can’t really understand where he got wrong? What he made mistakenly?
The answer is in that once chosen the path, due to his age and young spirits he studied the question not really thoroughly. He read stories of poker players who in millions and disregarded the fact that only 5% of the total number of players are winning in the long run. As for someone to win a million, someone has to lose it.
Future Possibilities
Our young developer with diploma in his pocket is full of the brightest hopes. As he is in the beginning of his journey. Young man is certain he has made the right choice as the industry he works in is constantly developing. He sees great future possibilities – an interesting job, travels abroad. We won’t talk of salaries as many factors from those. The thing is everyone has 100% certainty he will be able to provide a decent life for him.
Our hero didn’t give up on his hobby: he play poker every now and then. Sometimes these are home games with friends, the other times tournaments online or visiting small live series – his current status allows him spend some of his earnings to entertain him.
Possibilities of the poker player are less fortunate. We’ve already spoken of famous 5% of winning players. We wish our hero to be in this 5%. The probability is he will be in the other group. Following down steaks, hard psychological stat – many people can’t deal with these issues. On average he makes $500-$1,000 per month and has no future. Our hero will have some second thought, but the time will be let down. The age is different now, it’s too late to educate yourself. He only gets on track by thinking of big win at nights. He can’t work as a shop manager due to his pride. It will be more difficult with each year.
We don’t tell you to refuse of poker. This is a brilliant game to train brains and communicate with the friends. We advise to think a thousand times before making decisions that could change your life. If you think that your intellectual potential and psychological stability are good enough to be in the above described 5%, you can try poker for yourself. IF there are doubts – don’t cut yourself off from the way of the ordinary people.