A Year Off

[Boett43]

Im gonna be graduating Highschool This June and I plan on going to college BUT im really considering taking a year off to fish and fish alot and get the feel for a few tournaments. My parents are cool and it should be all ok with them aslong as i pick up a part-time job wich wouldnt bother me much. Just wanted to hear what you guys thought of that. who knows i could dominate every tournament and be on my way up the pro angler ladder haha..

                      Big B Out

[jeremyt]

I would say to do what you want, but be able to live with it. Just realize that sometimes taking time off of school makes it 2x harder to get back.  Good luck no matter which path you take.

[Tin]

Best thing I ever did. Taking this semester off was great just lived on the water since last May. I've been able to do 45-60 hours a week on the water for the past 5 months or so.

Its tough you are given between the last couple months of senior year and the start of school in September to figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life. That isnt exactly an easy thing to figure out. I'm just dreading getting back into the swing of school in 8 weeks. Going to be tough. But good luck.

[RobbyZ5001]

Honestly...YOU are the one that needs to decide. If you go to college with your  mind solely on fishing you won't do well. So you need to get your priorities straight before you go to college.

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

Ridiculous!

Get your college diploma and then look at your options. Congratulations on your upcoming high school graduation, but you have NOT earned a year off. College is almost automatically worth a million dollars over your working career. Very few professional fishermen have earned (or will ever earn) a million dollars total in their entire career.

[Gatorbassman]

You have got to be kidding. The dumbest thing I ever did was decide to take a year off of school. By the end of that year I had all but forgotten how to survive in school. I had to join the army to make ends meet and that is where I received my schooling. I got lucky because my job in the army was marketable in the real world.

GO TO COLLEGE!!!

One option would be to go to school then take Spring off and then go back to school for the Summer, this will give you a feel of tournaments and you will a good foot hold in school.

[Tin]

Also, dont do what I did. If you are going to to do it, do it now and figure out what you are going to do instead of getting buried in debt from college loans. New studies show that almost 70% of college freshman switch majors, I dont know many people that havent so that number is probably much bigger than it was a few years back. Realize too, this s a double edged sword. Those that take the year off may have difficulty going back so some do drop-out after that year off and dont finish.

Just remember, if dont take that year off now, you dont have another shot at it. Because after college you will have some big bills to pay.

[Guest avid]

If you don't pursue your dreams when your young,

when will you?

[David P]

Speaking from experience, the longer you wait, the harder it is to go back.

I'm 20, I've been out of school for 2 years, this will be my 3rd year. I have finally quit my job, and will be attempting to go back to school in January.

It's tough. I'd say, go to community college and take 2-3 classes. You won't have to work too hard, and you can still fish, that way you're not completely out of the cycle.

[grimlin]

When i graduated,my mom told me to take the summer off.  :-?

The way she put it was enjoy it,because from then on you will have to work the rest of your life.So once the summer was over i went looking for a job,Deal between me and my mom.I'm glad i took the summer off,now i'm working and been working 14 years.

I won't get into why i didn't go to college.I regret it a little....

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

You have got to be kidding. The dumbest thing I ever did was decide to take a year off of school. By the end of that year I had all but forgotten how to survive in school.

GO TO COLLEGE!!!

One option would be to go to school then take Spring off and then go back to school for the Summer, this will give you a feel of tournaments and you will a good foot hold in school.

X2

[Davis]

Don't mean to be blunt here.......DONT BE DUMB!!!!

Get your butt to school. Fishing shouldn't be your life man. It's something we enjoy but it shouldn't control you. IMO it is sounding like its taking first place over all other things and controlling you.

Just a thought man.

Go get your degree and than take some time off if you want before getting that job after college. But don't take the time off before because chances are you won't end up going in the future.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

You can fish while you're at college,......trust me. 8-)  Build your talent and knowledge base while accumulating the "know how" to promote yourself properly in the future.  Make a plan.

[BackOnTheWater]

Most of this has been said, but I must put forth my $.02 worth.

Think of it this way...a college education will allow you to fish forever. Taking a year off to fish and risking the damage a year out of school can do, if you ever go back, will make it much harder for you in the long run.

Some schools have fishing teams.

Don't risk the rest of your life on a desire to fish more. You will have to earn a living for a looooong time. You're too young to realize just how long that is.

Everyone that decides to take time off from school, regardless of the reasons, is sure that they will go back. I would guess that most do not, or do not thrive when they do.

It ain't worth it...your education is the most important thing...don't take any chance to mess it up...STAY IN SCHOOL!

[Little_Minnow]

Speaking from experience.....go to college.  If you are not SERIOUS about being a professional fisherman and it is a hobby...which most would have to admit as much as they love it they can not make a living at it so it is a hobby....you need to go to school.  I took a year off...then two...then three...I am 34 now and just graduated from college three years ago.  The difference finishing school has made on my career is amazing.  Now I have the time and money to enjoy my HOBBY.  Getting the mindset to go back to school after being off is very difficult...that is why so many people that take the time off never end up going back.  

All that said...if you are SERIOUS about being a professional fisherman....that is how you want to earn your living....then I agree with one of the previous posters that you need to chase the dream while you are you ng and your responsibilities are minimal.  Congratulations on graduating high school...that in itself is a great accomplishment...I recommend keeping the momentum and knocking out college.

Best of like either way.

Josh

[Tokyo Tony]

Go to college man.  You'll have just as much time to fish as you would if you were working part-time, but you'll be getting an education.  Freshman year at college is amazing - you're around a bunch of freshmen, - NO PARENTS!  There will be a lot of females there as well, in case you were wondering. Go straight to school, get your education, then worry about your career, even if that might be bass fishing.  These bass fishermen who are the most successful did not make their money in the tournaments.  They make most of it with their business mindset after they gain a name for themselves, and a college education will give you some of the tools necessary to become successful in the business world, whether it relates to bass fishing or to anything else.

Plus, you'll have time off between terms, and the whole freakin' summer off!  Man, what I wouldn't do to get summers off again.  Now that I work full-time, the summer is nothing more than a time of year that it's warm.

Go to school, and live it up for the rest of us  ;D

[dave]

Glad to see the GO TO SCHOOL's crushed the take time off's

[Raul]

I took my sabatical year AFTER college.

[bocabasser]

most definitely get your college degree first! i don't know where you are planning on going to school, but choose a school that has fishing year round. come on down to sunny south florida and get educated and catch hogs all year round!

seriously man---do not delay your education. after you graduate, you can then take time off before you begin your career.

[Lucky Craft Man]

Look at it this way, the sooner you get your college degree, the sooner you can get a job that pays well, which means the sooner you can buy really nice fishing equipment. Delaying school in my opinion would be the worst thing you can do. I spent twelve years in college and graduate school and now I am doing relatively well and have a whole rack full of G Loomis Rods and nice reels. All those years I spent studing and not fishing, I am making up for it now. To make a long story short...Go To College!!!!

[roadwarrior]

All those years I spent studing and not fishing, I am making up for it now.

Hmm...

I'm not sure that's what you meant to say...

:

[Lucky Craft Man]

All those years I spent studing and not fishing, I am making up for it now.

Hmm...

I'm not sure that's what you meant to say...

:

I'm meant to say that I fish a lot now, making up for all the years I couldn't spend as much time on the water as I wanted to during my time in school.  Does that make sense?

[Tokyo Tony]

Another note - I "took time off" after college - meaning it took me a while to get my act together and find a job.  That's when I fell back in love with fishing.  So from June to October I was fishing pretty much every day.  I started out using just minnnow baits, retrieving them with a straight retrieve, then a friend recommended Senkos, and the rest is history.  Anyway, like I said before, you'll have plenty of time to fish in college, summers off, etc.  Plus, don't neglect to consider the ladies.

[FD.]

If you are smart go to college...

If you're not so smart and an average fisherman, then you can look forward to flippin burgers instead of jigs and living in a trailer instead of pulling one.

If you are smart and can fish, then go to a college with a fishing team.  There are several in the midwest and Webber International University in Fla (the school is on Crooked Lake) just started one last year.  Just google NCAA fishing teams there, are 24 colleges with fishing programs.

GO TO SCHOOL and FISH

[bassnleo]

You have got to be kidding. The dumbest thing I ever did was decide to take a year off of school. By the end of that year I had all but forgotten how to survive in school.

GO TO COLLEGE!!!

One option would be to go to school then take Spring off and then go back to school for the Summer, this will give you a feel of tournaments and you will a good foot hold in school.

X2

X3

Like alot have already mentioned, a college education is invaluable in today's world. My younger brother decided to "take a year off" after high school. He NEVER went back and now he is paying for it. He has yet to hold a decent well paying job.

There will be plenty of time to fish. Think of it this way, taking 2 or 4 years to complete college is a really short amount of time in the long run of life.