Overqualified but Content

I know, I know. It has been around 7 months since the last time I wrote a blog post.  I haven't written anything because it accomplished its goal at the time, I didn't really feel like it, I had gotten out of the habit, and hardly anybody was reading it anyway.

Since that last post I have moved again.  I'm now in Denver, Colorado.  I haven't made a big deal of it in the past, but I am a table games dealer in a casino now.  Back in 2005, I moved out to Las Vegas and worked on The Strip at The Flamingo for a year.  It was a great experience.  It was also something I had dreamed about since I was in middle school.  I never intended for that job to be a long term commitment.  In between then and now, I have done a variety of things, the majority of time was spent as an actuary in the insurance world.

I've been crashing at a friend's place for the last bunch of weeks.  I've never had that dynamic before and it has been great fun.  I had some intense drama regarding my initial job when I moved out here to Denver.  I butted heads with the head of table games that is frankly afraid of dealers that stand up for themselves against ridiculous policies.  Without the support group I had here it would have been a lot tougher.  I landed a great job at a different casino.  The new one has been excellent and I have been impressed with it.  It takes a lot to impress me.  As many of you know, I have absolutely no reservations about changing jobs.  Since I graduated high school, I have never lived in the same metro area, let alone held the same job, for more than 3 consecutive years.  I have never renewed any apartment lease.  My parents have appropriately nicknamed me their "Wandering Son".

As a casino dealer, my job is extremely portable.  I have all the skills and personality needed to go anywhere I desire.  Because of different life circumstances, I have worked at 4 different casinos.  I have been a very successful dealer at each of them.  It might be shocking to some of you that an introvert like me can entertain a blackjack table as well as I do.  But it is my lightly mocking wit / smart ass comments at certain times and my legitimate caring for my players at other times that allow me to bring in more tips than the average dealer.

I can hear the thoughtful criticisms of many of you already:

Todd, aren't you overqualified to be a dealer?

Weren't you an actuary until recently?

Don't actuaries make more money?

Isn't it true that the only firm requirements for being a dealer are having a G.E.D. and not having a felony conviction?

Why would someone with a B.S. in Actuarial Science from Iowa and almost a B.S. in Computer Science from Iowa State want to be in a job that gets minimum wage plus tips?

To answer those imagined (and sometimes actually asked) questions:

Yes, in terms of education, I have spent more years in school than are necessary.

Yes, as an actuary I could be making a lot more money.

No, I don't regret my actions.

The problem I had as an actuary, and a likely root cause of a lot of my job and location changes, was a lack of social interaction.  This has been a theme throughout all of my life.  I used to not talk about it, but I am not ashamed to do so now.  Growing up, I had I'd say 3 true friends and a metric crap ton of acquaintances I was friendly with.

Those acquaintances allowed me to have the skills to interact with my players as a dealer.  I'll talk with them about anything and everything.  I get a lot of social interaction all night long.  I work nights intentionally so I get higher player counts per table and have more interaction.  It also helps that I have always been a night owl.

As an actuary, I barely talked to anybody all day.  I was in a cubicle farm staring at a computer screen most of the time.  My co-workers never wanted to do anything outside of work.  They just went home to their families and that was it. 

Given the circumstances dealers work in, and the fact that we work when most people are off, it is very natural for dealers to hang out with each other outside of work.  I was quite fortunate to have developed some friendships with some dealers at my last Iowa casino, Horseshoe in Council Bluffs.  I was welcomed with open arms.  Because of them, and the persistent encouraging prodding of one person in particular, I am now in Colorado.  It's an open secret that the most likely place a dealer goes to if they voluntarily quit at Horseshoe is the Denver market.  There are a couple dozen people that have done the same thing over the past few years.

I guess in short, life has changed yet again for me.  I have friends that care about me and my well-being.  I am happy and satisfied.

Cue the Vegas Vacation quotes.