An old poker pro I used to read advice from had this same question and his answer was that you could learn to be really good at just about anything else you’re passionate about for the same time and cash commitment it takes to be really good at poker. And when you’re done with any other education (whether through school or work experience) you’ll never lose money with it.
So you should only pursue poker if it is the thing you are most excited to do out of all the possibilities in the world and you actually have aptitude for it. Otherwise, play for fun, get good if you want to and take a weekend trip to a casino or Vegas for great entertainment. Don’t rely on it for food and use the same skills somewhere else. Most jobs are a no lose proposition, you show up and they pay you, it’s amazingly easy that way. With poker there’s no automatic pay days or paid time off, and if you’re not right in your head things can go bad quickly.
If that doesn’t worry you, then the amount of self-discipline and finding your own strengths and weaknesses will transfer to anything you do, but it is a harsh lifestyle and truly survival of the fittest. You will not be the fittest for some time if you’re just starting out, but you can be the best at a table pretty easily. Pick the right table and consider the motivations of the people you’re playing with.
A lot of full time poker players, both the big names you’ve heard of and smaller folks you haven’t, post blogs online including hand histories and strategies. You can type “diary of a poker player” into a search engine and that will give you a start. If that stuff gets you interested rather than boring the hell out of you then maybe it’s for you.
Otherwise use your time in a smarter way and play on weekends as a hobby, it’s a great game.
Kram420 I think shares an honest look at a guy who has the poker skills and talks about the ups and downs of the lifestyle in a blog, he’s been at it for years, live, online, internationally, and in Vegas