That buck that bought a bottle could've struck the lotto

To be quite honest that question has been in the back of my mind for a while now.  Could I do this professionally?  I'm sure every poker player has the same question at some point.  Because I'm insane I believe I've thought about just about every variable when it comes to this decision.  I've decided to give it a shot, with a few exceptions thrown in:

Let's start with pros/cons:

Pros:

1. I'm 26 years old and have no real obligations outside of poker, no kids or family on the way.  Nothing at all to restrict me, this may be the last time in my life I can really say that.
2. My job isn't all that great and leaving it wouldn't kill me financially or professionally.  I can't say this without sounding like a huge dick but it's also an Adam Carolla rant where he talks about how he "thought all adults were smart."  When you are working in the real world you realize how many people have great positions that plain just aren't that good at their jobs.  It's a little mind blowing.  I'm smart, I have a degree, if I fuck up I'll figure things out.
3. Related somewhat to the above, the opportunity cost of me not dedicating a lot of time to poker is very large right now.  Take a look at salaries out there, they are kind of a joke in comparison.  A good 200NL reg can make six figures in a year, hell my hourly is on pace for that right now, I just can't put in enough hours.  It takes years of experience to make that much in the "real world."
4. Opportunity cost of not having time for poker is compounded.  I don't have a ton of time to dedicate to learning, playing hours when I'm not tired, playing different games, etc.  Thus I move up more slowly, learn slower and all of these factors compound on each other into one big ball of theoretical money I haven't won.
   
5. Life equity, I don't think this is talked about enough when I see discussions on pro decisions.  Having the ability to set your own hours and time to do anything is straight up, card carrying certified BAD ASS.  With 40 hours of cubicle time, me trying to get 20-30 hours of poker per week., and trying to have some semblance of a real life I'm so locked into routine it's ridiculous.  Let's say I wanted to join a softball league for fun, small example but it illustrates the point well.  With my current schedule it's basically impossible.  Even meeting new people and trying to date, "ya I'm free October 19th from 4-6 pm, does that work for you?"  It's a joke, the amount of life equity I will gain is tremendous.  Combine that with the fact that I'm young and have no obligations, so life equity now is even MORE valuable than say 10 years from now.
   

Cons:

1. The legislative and banking environment is not exactly poker friendly right now.  While things are improving, the outlook isn't necessarily good.  Although this could be seen as a Pro as well, as this might be the last chance for US players to really make some money.
2. Related to the above, game quality is not that great either, and the games are getting tougher everyday.  With that said I'll have more time to work on my games and all the motivation in the world (Rent, bills, etc.)
3. I'll have a period where I will run worse than I ever have before, I'll lose a huge amount of money that I didn't think was possible and question my game and every decision I make.  I'm aware of this possibility, I don't have a good response other than I'll cross that bridge when it comes.
4. Poker players contribute nothing to society and your job will not allow you to be personally fulfilled as a human being.  I've thought about this briefly and just don't agree.  I think very few people contribute large amounts to society in their jobs and don't believe with paying taxes and doing other activities outside of poker I'd be much different.  Call me selfish but personal happiness is much more important to me.
5. Bankroll and backup money, I don't have the traditional 100 buy-ins and 6 months of living expenses saved up.  I'm close but not quite there.  I'm not sweating this though, I can honestly pay my bills as low as 25NL with enough hard work.  Obviously this isn't ideal but the basement is still really, really far away from where I'm at.

One final concern was health insurance, as I wouldn't have it if I left my job.  I signed up through

it was surprisingly simple and I got a pretty good policy for slightly more that what I'm paying through work, ~$200 per month.  Highly recommended and very shocking considering all the horror stories you read about health insurance.

So the plan is to give this about a 2 year run and see where things are at.  I'm going to try and keep up on real world skills in the mean time.  Keep a close eye on the legislative and banking conditions.  Oh, and have a siiiick life in the process :)

I've already sent in the resignation e-mail, I'll be slowly exiting and should be out by Thanksgiving. I wanted to keep a good referral in case I need it (see I really am a nit at heart). They wanted to potentially offer me another position, I said I would possibly consider it but 99% sure it won't be enough to keep me around.  The plan is to continue to play 200 NL until I build up some living expenses and a nice sexy bankroll and come out swinging at mid stakes in 2011.

Couldn't leave without at least one song, had this Curren$y album on repeat for the past few weeks.  Lovin it and I rarely smoke weed haha.  I just love his lazy delivery, laid back rhymes, SKI BEATZ!, and style in general.  Til next time bloggy blog.