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(posted by anonymous user on findpage talk page): If one would like to pursue the goal of becoming a Professional Go player, how would you go about doing it?
Besides living in asia, being young, entering a pro study program I suppose the most important thing is:
You just have to make go your full time job - study and play 10 hours a day for many years - and hope that you have enough talent and stamina to become really strong. If you can't do this in the first place, living in asia or having the most expensive teacher probably won't lead you anywhere.
This might be true for "older" people, i.e. starting in their twenties or older. It is certainly not true for talented young people. In Japan children commonly start pro studies around the age of ten and qualify for pro 1-dan before they are 18. They are going to school "full time", too. A certain amount of deication is required, though, but go studies usually take place after school and on week-ends. Michael Redmond began his studies to become a pro at age 13 and qualified for pro 1-dan at age 18.
It should be noted that James Kerwin learn about go in his college years. He bacame a disciple of a pro (cant remember which) at 27, became a japanese 1p at 32. That has given me hope. I am 20 and am now taking go seriously.