Hello from Belgium! It's kind of a quiet time for me these days poker-wise. And so right now I'm mostly focusing on my schoolwork.
I'm currently pursuing a Master degree in Public Management. I already have a Master in Criminology, and actually my current studies are a bit different. Before I was at a different school where I did a lot of the studying on my own. But with this Public Management degree I am in class all the time.
That means having a little more discipline and playing a little bit less poker. Even so, I'm enjoying my studies. I liked studying Criminology, too. I had thought at one point I'd like to become a police officer, but that's kind of a difficult job to land and in Belgium it isn't really possible for a police officer to play poker for a living, too.
My ultimate goal with my Public Management degree will be to get some sort of government job, perhaps with the European Commission or find some other position that involves making policies. And of course having two Master degrees will help me get a better paying job as well.
Right now my schedule has me in class every day during the week except Thursdays, and so that means I am only playing online poker two days per week. When I'm studying all week and then finally get to play poker, I play better because I'm more focused and make a better use of my time at the tables.
I also have a special statute from the school that allows me to miss classes if I really have to attend an event, such as the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure that is coming up in January (and which I'm really looking forward to). It's kind of like an exception for playing a sport.
If all goes according to plan -- that is, if I pass my exams in good shape -- I'll complete my degree next June. That's when I'll really start thinking about entering the working world.
Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the life of a student. You don't have a lot of worrying about money, you get to know a lot of people, and there's a lot of socializing. Poker is very popular as well with students, especially the guys. In fact, I often get asked "Are you that girl who plays poker?"
It's a challenge, too, of course. You always have to study hard and worry about getting good grades. But I like challenges, so that also makes being a student enjoyable.
My studies help me at the poker tables as well, insofar as I'm training my brain to solve problems and staying sharp. And both poker and school require discipline, too, so it doesn't hurt that I'm working on that in my studies as well.
So for now I keep working on my goal of getting my degree. And in January I'll work on another goal -- winning at the PCA!