New Job and Blackjack

[lij45o6]

Let's say you have extra time in your life for some extra income.

You decide to get a new full-time job. Problem is, you have been out of work for more than the "Golden 6", the 6 months of no general employment. Any employer will look at that gap (a leave without reason) with suspicion.

OF course, telling anyone in the general public you are a card counter, a BJ pro will raise eyebrows. If I were a lay employer and found out a prospective employee quit their previous job to play blackjack, I would default to serious judgement of their character and question whether they are fit for the position.

However, honesty is key and if the prospective employee is willing to explain WHY they quit their previous employer, then I may entertain their position and consider them based on that merit alone.

Okay, so...you have the application/resume in hand. You give it to the new place and they look over it. You pass all qualifications, previous employers seemed to like you (you were Okay, did your job, no trouble, willing to help outside of designated spot) but that unexplained gap?

What do you put down for "Reason for Leaving:"?

[Avincow]

Hopefully this is a hypothetical situation and not one that you are in. It is this exact situation that has kept me back from quitting my job. Quitting a straight job to count cards will make it very difficult to get back into another straight job. You will have an unexplainable gap in your work history. You cannot fill that gap with what you have actually been doing. I have been down this road with many people. It just doesn't work, people do not understand card counting. They do not want to understand. I gave up trying to explain it. People will look down on you for gambling because it is a sin. They will look down on you for being a sucker. They will look down on you for being another delusional person with a 'system'. "You are not always going to win" "Don't come asking me for money" "Why don't you earn money the respectable way like the rest of us". You simply cannot change people's beliefs. You may have a shot if you are seeking a job related to finance, computer science, or statistics. The interviewer may understand where you are coming from. But if the interviewer is from
HR and is not technical, you do not have a chance.

[Meistro123]

say you were taking care of a sick relative.

[Three]

I would tell them that I was looking for the right job that I would want to keep for a long time, not any job. I could have gone back to work at a job I would not stay at but chose not to. This will make them think you alerting to be a long term employee that works hard.

[ZenMaster_Flash]

You can try ...

I won $100,000 on a lottery ticket and took a 6 month vacation.

I was working with 'Habitat for Humanity'

I was searching for spiritual enlightenment.

I was a mercenary in central Africa.

I was writing the "Great American Novel."

[Xothan]

Meh, I've met lots of people at a variety of age ranges who have taken 6 months to a year or even more to backpack around the world. It's not so uncommon anymore. That could be an easy response.

[Freightman]

Set yourself up as a limited company, employ yourself as a statistical analyst involved in fluid exchanges of recreational commerce. Have your wife give you exceptional (if true) performance evaluations. Advise you are continuing on a part time basis.

[Fiestastation]

I guess it depends on what type of employment, but is this really so hard to explain away...?

"I've been self-employed for the past 6 months, but it didn't quite work out." "I took some time off to be a stay at home dad, and now I'm re-entering the workforce."

Or say that you had the financial ability to take some time off to pursue some other interests, and now you are re-entering the workforce. I would say anything other than, "I left my job to count cards." Stretch the truth to some degree if necessary.

[refinery]

This is very industry dependent. In my industry taking 6 months or more off is not uncommon. Saying I took six months off and played blackjack would gain respect of the types of people I typically interview with.

[Stealth]

Once again, it depends........

Overall, it is "never" a positive to have a dead spot in your resume and covering it up with a fabrication (varying degrees) is not likely a good choice. You may want to run for president some day and they will dredge this ill thought event up to your disadvantage.

The bigger elephant in the room was the decision (assuming it was your decision) to play full time (and this is a BIG decision) and create this situation. My advice is to NEVER do that until you have sufficient experience as a part time player (while fully employed) to fully understand the consequences (bankroll/variances, etc). Then the decision to go full time should be without regard for the dead spot in your resume. Even NFL players play high school then college before they make the big time.

So, do not be mislead, to go full time requires a broad set of skills (IMHO to include more than BJ) and well sized bankroll to operate at a manageable RoR, a plan to cover health insurance and living cost and the real support of your family.

If you have already done the full time AP thing and it is not working out (as it will not in most cases) then using some plausible excuse for your work absence might be the only option left. Probably not a good time to double down.

[marriedputter]

Lots of good information here. Everybody has to walk their own path. As for me, I would not want to work for someone who would shun me for doing something that I loved, blackjack or not. If they have a problem with me supporting myself by playing blackjack, chances are we would not get along anyway. Of course, I'm simply not interested in a "traditional" lifestyle where you work 8-5, fight traffic, and are in constant fear of "the man." I seek no approval from society for being who I truly am.

My advice, think outside of the box and create your own income. IMHO, anybody that depends solely on one entity for income is only a few steps higher than a slave. Have more than one income. Note, I'm not saying to have more than one job. I mean more than one income. Having only one source of income is tantamount to putting all your eggs in one basket. Though it's foolish, it's unfortunately the norm.

This type of post that I made is the type that can inadvertently derail a thread. So I'll stop here. If you just have to have the old 8-5, the other comments on here are pretty good ones. Don't feel guilty about fabricating a reason for being unemployed. Unfortunately, your potential employers are usually more concerned with the way things look as opposed to the way things actually are. So if you are really willing to work hard for them, I see nothing unethical about lying your ass off.

[Freightman]

Lots of good information here. Everybody has to walk their own path. As for me, I would not want to work for someone who would shun me for doing something that I loved, blackjack or not. If they have a problem with me supporting myself by playing blackjack, chances are we would not get along anyway. Of course, I'm simply not interested in a "traditional" lifestyle where you work 8-5, fight traffic, and are in constant fear of "the man." I seek no approval from society for being who I truly am.

My advice, think outside of the box and create your own income. IMHO, anybody that depends solely on one entity for income is only a few steps higher than a slave. Have more than one income. Note, I'm not saying to have more than one job. I mean more than one income. Having only one source of income is tantamount to putting all your eggs in one basket. Though it's foolish, it's unfortunately the norm.

This type of post that I made is the type that can inadvertently derail a thread. So I'll stop here. If you just have to have the old 8-5, the other comments on here are pretty good ones. Don't feel guilty about fabricating a reason for being unemployed. Unfortunately, your potential employers are usually more concerned with the way things look as opposed to the way things actually are. So if you are really willing to work hard for them, I see nothing unethical about lying your ass off.

I have 4 sources of income.

Rental, not doing very well right now
Stocks mutual, Dividend capital gains etc, doing quite well
Regular, from my self employed gruelling 5-6 hour work week, great for what I'm putting out, way below my peaks, obviously.
blackjack, is that work? Don't put the big hours in anymore. Have to travel to play, though I enjoy the travel when I do.

I worked today. Answered a couple of cell calls, and sent an email or 2. Did that while enjoying coffee at my neighbourhood French bakery cafe.

[ZeeBabar]

Lots of good information here. Everybody has to walk their own path. As for me, I would not want to work for someone who would shun me for doing something that I loved, blackjack or not. If they have a problem with me supporting myself by playing blackjack, chances are we would not get along anyway. Of course, I'm simply not interested in a "traditional" lifestyle where you work 8-5, fight traffic, and are in constant fear of "the man." I seek no approval from society for being who I truly am.

My advice, think outside of the box and create your own income. IMHO, anybody that depends solely on one entity for income is only a few steps higher than a slave. Have more than one income. Note, I'm not saying to have more than one job. I mean more than one income. Having only one source of income is tantamount to putting all your eggs in one basket. Though it's foolish, it's unfortunately the norm.

This type of post that I made is the type that can inadvertently derail a thread. So I'll stop here. If you just have to have the old 8-5, the other comments on here are pretty good ones. Don't feel guilty about fabricating a reason for being unemployed. Unfortunately, your potential employers are usually more concerned with the way things look as opposed to the way things actually are. So if you are really willing to work hard for them, I see nothing unethical about lying your ass off.

+1. Anyone who opts for fulltime BJ in this century (Post 2000) without first playing part time, without taking a 30 day full time stint or two, without a $25k BR has made a DUMB move. Sharing that with an employer tells the employer you have maturity issues.

Find a good lie.