Thank you for this. I am well aware that becoming a licensed plumber or electrician is a good job choice. Same goes for other job skills like auto mechanic, body shop repair, computer repair and many more similar types of employment. Probably better than most college degrees for being able to always earn a good living, and there is not nearly as much schooling involved, sometimes only a year or less to become an apprentice. I see and hear about way too many college grads who cannot find a decent job, and might be driving for UPS or Uber (both of which pay more than what most pro pool players make in a year). True that!
I'd like to add one thing to this conversation. For most, if not all, professional pool players and those that aspire to be one, it is never just about the money. There is a love for the game and a desire to be one of the best that drives them. All these guys are fully aware that only the very best are earning good money from playing pool, probably not more than a dozen or so like that. These guys wouldn't trade their quest for a job, any job!
I take my hat off to them. They are doing what they love and for them it is not work. I made a good living running poolrooms and often worked 60+ hours a week doing it. For me it was time well spent and I enjoyed almost every minute of it. It was never boring!
Last thing. I had a chance to be a doctor or anything else I desired as a young man, but I wanted to play pool and not spend any more time in school. For many years I never had more than a few thousand dollars to my name and I was a successful pool player. Well known players of that era used to come to me to borrow ten or twenty dollars because they knew I was always holding good. In the end it all worked out okay for me. I got a great "poolroom" education that has held me in good stead ever since, and I found a way to make a decent living at the game. No complaints here.
Most of my time on this forum is when I'm "on the clock".
I just punched in
