It's a weird double-edged sword, for sure. But it's always about instant vs delayed gratification, isn't it?
On the one hand, you lose a bunch of freedom when you're young, but you set yourself up (potentially) for the rest of your life. And honestly, the odds of you going pro are slim to none. The odds of a BA helping you to land a better job than without the BA are way higher. And sure, there are lots of great jobs for which you don't need a degree, but you'll need some sort of apprenticeship or trade school.
My own experience was this: I was sponsored for years. I got to travel and see the world via skating and I thought I was the luckiest dude in the world. I even started college before that happened and then dropped out to skate. But then, one day when I was pushing 26 or 27, it became painfully obvious that I was never going to get my name on a board. And even if I had? I would've been B or C-level at best and never in my life have made enough money to live off of, let alone retire on. Even if I had stuck it out and maybe (maybe?) turned pro at 30 (like some people have, and fucking A good for them), I would certainly have had to do a second act in life when that ride ended. But trying to figure out your second act at 35 or 38 or 40 is a hell of a lot more difficult than at 26. So I kept skating and came up with a contingency plan: go back to college, get an artsy fartsy degree and see what happens. Then I went to grad school and somehow was lucky enough to get a job that I love and still leaves me time to skate while still contributing to a 401K and not constantly worrying about blowing out a knee in my twilight years.
Not turning pro was the best thing that ever happened to me, in hindsight. I talk to a lot of my friends who are pro (but, like, B or C-level, whose shoe money is gone, who are barely holding onto those boards) and have no clue what's going to happen when the gravy train comes to a stop. Team managing? Maybe? Repping? Sales? Sure. All in the skateboard industry, and none of them with a real long term prospect.
I know they're smart dudes who are going to somehow land on their feet, but being 37 without a resume or marketable skills? That's fucking tough.
But again, the double edged sword: fuck man, they got to live, see the world on a board, briefly become "skateboard famous," and do it all on someone else's dime with smiles on their faces.
Who's to say if the trade-off is worth it?
Fuck, I love skating.
My skate career followed a similar trajectory. I moved out west to chase the dream but realized that I wasn't going to ever go pro. I had sponsors, small checks, monthly boxes, and free trips, but could never break through to having it be a viable career. In that time I became friends with a lot of Ams/Pros and saw that hardly any of them were heading in a direction of retirement, but rather they would be facing the same crisis I faced at 25 except they would be facing it later in life and being even further behind once the ride ended.
I had what I call my quarter-life crisis at age 23, along with my girlfriend basically telling me I was a man-child chasing a dream that was never going to happen. We ended up breaking up and I focused on myself and started applying for any job I could find. I had a short resume and a small design portfolio from a job I had that I ended up leaving to "focus on my skating." I applied to colleges, but was in a really tough place financially and just didn't know how to do it. Instead, I put my entire focus into mastering software and learning everything I could while hustling and freelancing for clients. I was able to get a design position with a salary/benefits and that's what really opened my eyes. I was able to afford my own place/car/food, and still had plenty of time to skate along with the added bonus of working in the industry.
That was over a decade ago, and I have seen many of my friends turn pro, but I soon realized it doesn't equal the riches and success that I had always associated with getting your name on a board. Those same friends have told me they're now jealous of where I am at in my life and career. So In a roundabout way, I feel like I have achieved "Pro" status in my career rather than my skating. I still get to travel, and design products for brands I aspired to ride for or wear, and I still skate a fair amount without the pressure of worrying about producing footage or having my injury-riddled carcass clipped from the roster to make room for the next up and comer.
It's cool to see some of the other posters on here have followed a similar trajectory.
Topic: JENKEM: College? A perspective from pro skateboarders. (Read 23484 times)