Do You Need To Go To Collage?

[J Francho]

Pretty sure many of those pros took a second mortgage out to fund their dream.

[flyfisher]

Pretty sure many of those pros took a second mortgage out to fund their dream.

But they had to do something in order to take out that first mortgage

[J Francho]

I didn't get a degree and I have mortgage, lol.

[CJ]

You need to keep in mind that one day you will have to sell yourself to companies to get sponsored. A college education will give you an edge. Most of the elites and hundreds of other pros, keeping in mind they're not all tournament fisherman, spend more time doing seminars or publicly speaking, writing articles, etc., than actually fishing. Some pros have fished their way to the top because they were that good but they were also lucky more than once somewhere down the line. First and foremost, you have to be a great angler but with new technology being incorporated into a booming industry I believe a college education would be very wise. There are thousands of anglers out there that are good enough to fish at the top level. The anglers who are fishing at the top level had an edge somewhere, sometime. They also went all in and got a lucky break or two. If you really want it, you can do it but you better be ready to go all in. You can factor out the luck some by giving yourself every edge and a good education is a start.

 

Good luck! You can do it if you really, really, really want it!

[J Francho]

How does college help you sell yourself to sponsors or do a seminar? Even most articles are written at about a fifth grade level, so an English degree is probably overkill.

I'm sticking to the story that college probably has nothing to do with being a pro angler, but if college, trade school, apprenticeship, or whatever is a path to a fallback career (note I didn't say job), then that should come first.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

I have a belly button.

[Glenn]

BassMaster17, going to college is not for everyone.

 

We need good blue color workers who know plumbing, welding, car mechanics, engine mechanics, painting, the building trades, lawn work, tree removal, and so many other careers that a trade school or OTJ training is best.

 

For those who want to go to college and try for a career in accounting, medicine, engineering, law, insurance, management, banking, etc., then it is best they go to college.

 

I have a number of guys I know who graduated from college and are in the building trades and love it. Others I know dropped out of college and are in the computer industry and are doing great.

 

I know some people who never have set foot on a college campus other than for a football game and are very successful in their businesses or working at a high level for others.

 

All college is is a filter to separate out those who want to have a formal education and to allow companies to set hiring SOPs. Companies use the need for college degrees to limit the number of individuals applying for jobs. Otherwise they would be inundated with thousands of resumes for one position.

 

With a formal education there is no guarantee of success once you get into the real world.

 

My wife worked at the IRS with a bunch of losers who not only attended and graduated college but had their CPA designations.

 

Which leads me to the subject of your personality.

 

A good personality can get move you up the ladder of success. A sour attitude, no matter how many Ph.D.'s you have will not help you.

 

On the money side, a college education can be worth around $1,000,000 in income over your lifetime, if not more.

 

So yes, college opens more doors and gets you through the hiring filter. But there are no guarantees in life with or without a college degree.

^^  This  ^^

 

I will add that, being that I have a very clear view from the inside of the fishing world, very, very few ambitious anglers are able to make a career out of fishing, relatively speaking.  Most think it's all about fishing and winning tournaments, and the money, sponsorships, and endorsements comes naturally with that success.

 

Total hogwash.

 

Fishing success is merely a minimal requirement.  And, to be honest, fishing is a mere fraction of being a professional angler.  It's all about your personality, preserverence, attitude, networking, business savy, and ability to market and sell products.  A degree in business or marketing can be a huge benefit.

 

Becoming a professional angler is a long, tough road to haul.  It's grueling, and takes years to finally break through.  And by then, it will take years to dig yourself out of debt.  In many ways, it's like getting a college degree.  There are no shortcuts.

 

If nothing else, college teaches you to make a goal for yourself, and stay focused on accomplishing it.  This is why many companies use degrees as a screening agent. They want people who can preservere and stay focused on accomplishing an objective.  That's not to imply ONLY people with degrees can do that. But it's a simple way to screen people that way.  This is why degrees open so many doors.

 

That said, a college degree will not make you smarter.  I know and work with many people with post-graduate degrees that are dumb as soup.  And plenty that are incredibly smart.  The degree(s) didn't make them that way.  Yet I've met plenty of folks fresh out of college who think they know everything they need to know about the job, and won't hesitate to tell YOU how to do your job.  LOL!  Oh man, if they only knew how green and niave they really are.

 

College degrees are merely entry tickets to your chosen field.  What you do after you gain entry, determines your own success.  Always remember that.

[Master Bait'r]

How does college help you sell yourself to sponsors or do a seminar? Even most arrivals are written at about a fifth grade level, so an English degree is probably overkill.

I'm sticking to the story that college probably has nothing to do with being a pro angler, but if college, trades cool, apprenticeship, or whatever is a path to a fallback career (note I didn't say job), then that should come first.

 

 

I have to agree.  I mean, the basics in terms of marketing, finance and bare business sense are nice to have when selling yourself, but spending college-type money on it hoping someone will care that you did someday is just insane to me.  I have a good amount of college debt left and I honestly just hope people realize what they're getting themselves into.  Quite seriously if you don't have a specific list of things you want to learn, you're throwing money right out the window.  I honestly know so many people that went to school, are paying for it bigtime and aren't really using their degree for anything constructive- and these aren't Liberul( not getting that changed to Democrat, lol) Arts degrees either.  You know how many engineers want to kill themselves after the first 6 weeks in a cubicle?  It's crazy how miserable people can really make themselves when they plan out their life as an 18 yo.  I went to business school to better learn how to run my family's manufacturing business and it has paid off in spades, but that is far from the norm.  Most hope to go to school and figure things out along the way, which is a fool's errand IMO.  

 

 

My most honest advice is to take a year or even two off after high school to really try to get into the life you're thinking you might want to live- unless you want to be a doctor, etc that requires specialized learning there is no way around.  Too many people just go because they think that's what they're supposed to do, and they are still way too 'High School' in mentality to really make the most out of a hundred grand worth of information.  It's scary to me how that debt is inescapable now too- if you end up going bankrupt, you can clear a million dollar mansion from your credit and start over- but that student loan debt can not be.  There is no way to void it aside from paying it along with whatever fees they feel like blasting you with should you befall misfortune or economic meltdown thanks to the industry's creative lobbying and our heavily-bribed reps letting them write their own laws.  It's a scary thing!  

 

 

One would be well-served to check themselves before they wreck themselves, because if you thought 'Ol Salvatore Sixfingers down the block has ways of making you pay you've never dealt with Sallie Mae.  

 

Instead of asking ourselves "What can I learn with $100k" perhaps we should be asking ourselves "What business could I start for $5k or less".  

[SirSnookalot]

How does college help you sell yourself to sponsors or do a seminar? Even most articles are written at about a fifth grade level, so an English degree is probably overkill.

I'm sticking to the story that college probably has nothing to do with being a pro angler, but if college, trade school, apprenticeship, or whatever is a path to a fallback career (note I didn't say job), then that should come first.

I agree with all of the above.

[Dogmatic]

I have a belly button.

I don't believe it! I heard "The Mighty SPEEDBEAD" was born of no mortal mother, but arose from the water like the God Neptune upon the fins of fish, a gift to fisherman and the world!

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Perhaps more believable that I like turtles?

 

 

[BassMaster17]

You only go to collage if you wanna get sponsered

So if you were not to go to college but were winning consecutive tournaments, or placing 2nd/3rd, you still wouldn't be able to get sponsors?. or does the college degree just help a little bit in getting you sponsors?

[Dogmatic]

Perhaps more believable that I like turtles?

Well...that we can believe, who doesn't like turtles?

http://mashable.com/2015/04/07/turtle-tortoise-florida-mixup/

[F14A-B]

I like turtle soup..

[SPEEDBEAD.]

So if you were not to go to college but were winning consecutive tournaments, or placing 2nd/3rd, you still wouldn't be able to get sponsors?. or does the college degree just help a little bit in getting you sponsors?

 

He's kidding.

 

Essentially any time you see "sponsors" spelled incorrectly, it's satirical.

[J Francho]

He likes turtles.

[shanksmare]

A good source for info about becoming a Professional Bass fisherman is the book: Catching Bass Like a Pro by Steve Price (from the experiences of Guy Eaker). Guy Eaker was a pro with longevity challenging Rick Clunn. He details what he had to do to turn pro. How he got sponsors and more importantly what he did to keep these sponsors. He explains what the sponsors expected of him and what he required of the sponsors.

 

Deciding if college is for you and what possible path to persue is only something you can answer. Just get as much input as you can from sources that you trust parents, teachers, guidance counselors, ministers, etc).

 

You don't have to go to a college that costs a kings ransom. There are state and community colleges that are more reasonably priced. There are scholarships and grants that go unused every year.

 

If you chose to go to college and get a degree, it will be something that you will always have and may be beneficial to you in unanticipated manners.

 

I look at a college degree as a key. This key will unlock opportunities to you that would otherwise be unattainable. It does not guarantee success, it is just a possible component of it.

 

Most companies will train you to do a specific job in the manner in which they wish it done. They invest tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in this training. The college degree shows them that you have the capability to understand and complete this training.

 

Generally speaking experience and education directly influence salary.

 

Just remember, each time you see a kid bouncing a basketball on a street corner that he has dreams of becoming the next Michael Jordan. Few succeed! So its wise to always have a Plan B.

[F14A-B]

He likes turtles.

That's a fascinating photo, is that a real turtle or some type of poser? It looks real w a harness & a add on tail.. That's pretty cool..

[J Francho]

It's a swimbait.  Probably only really works dirung the spawn.

[Choporoz]

It's a swimbait.  Probably only really works dirung the spawn.

In clear water

[CDMeyer]

I believe you can become a pro without going to college.  But it would not be wise.  There is so much more to pro fishing than the fishing.  Behind the science work with sponsors and marketing=go to college

Plus college will help you get a higher pay job to pay your entry fees getting started 

[RSM789]

...Plus college will help you get a higher pay job to pay your entry fees getting started...

 

There are a couple of million unemployed folks with a mountain of debt who would disagree with that assertion.  They are known as the class of 2008, the class of 2009, the class of 2010...well, you get the drift.

[corn-on-the-rob]

Looking back on the responses to this thread, regardless of if you are planning on fishing professionally or not, go to college. A college degree may not help you as a professional angler but it is something you should get if given the opportunity.

 

The hard truth here is that regardless of how good you think you are, how much "heart" and "drive" you have, it is more than a long shot to expect with any comfort that you will be a professional. At the point which that is realized, if you have a college degree to fall back on, your situation will be leagues better than if you didn't.

[SirSnookalot]

If the reason to attend college is purely motivated by the desire to be a pro fisherman, that argument is unconvincing to me.  I am a strong advocate of a college education for a plethora of reasons that have been extensively discussed. I'm just as strong not to attend if one has no desire or not being college material.  There are just too many stories of success and failure to make blanket statements whether to attend or not.  It always boils down to the individual.

 

I keep reading marketing, I don't really understand that.  Manufacturers market and promote the products they make. An athlete or celebrity may endorse those products for compensation, in my mind that's a commercial not marketing. The we read about seminars, all the education in the world does not guarantee a person is a gifted speaker.  Some people are naturals, others learn it in time and some will never be able to do it.  I would put a TV host into that group, just because they can catch fish doesn't mean they have the personality to be on camera.

 

Debt has been widely expressed, one thing that's almost for sure is that we all have it or started off with it.  Being in business I look at fishing the same way, whether it be tournament, commercial, charter and guides.  Any business needs capital to start, business people mortgage their homes too chasing their dream.  The investment is relative to the occupation, since we are talking tournament fishing that's basically a 1 person business.  A non business person may not understand the advantages of debt service, lines of credit, etc., a CPA could explain that better than me.  Fishing for a living is like any other business, it's gamble and one has to be willing to take a chance.

[Khan of the Res]

Well i am guessing you meant college and not collage so i will answer accordingly.  It is ultimately up to you to make that decision but a professional fishing career is something worth striving for but as in any career, it is nice to have a fall back plan and finding one that is complimentary as to being a pro fisherman like marketing or something else.  I know of a few pros who are day traders which helps to supplement their income.

Day trader here. If college isn't your thing. trading can be a good alternative. One day I made $140 sitting at the lake and trading on my phone.