This blog isn't here to scare you away from your dreams, it's not here to say what you are doing is a waste of time, but it's here to give you the harsh truth about the beautiful, yet insane industry known as esports. I have been in and out of this industry for 15+ years and have seen a lot...most of it...not pretty. Regardless, I still stick around because esports are a giant part of who I am. It's my dream. It's my passion. I always want to be involved in esports even with the overall shitty scent of this field. It's not all bad though. I've met some incredible people in this field and even worked for a few great companies...sadly it's few and far between, but they do exist (Shout out Cloud9). With that background set I think I'm going to just list some pro's, con's, and advice about getting into this field. "You get to work in the Gaming/Esports industry!"- Everyone loves video games. Getting to work in or around video games is a dream come true. It's a fun field to work in that if under the right management should push people to be creative and experimental. "You get to work in the Gaming/Esports industry"- EVERYONE loves video games and wants to be involved in this business. Therefore, the job market is flooded with people who aspire to do the same thing as you. It's competitive, cutthroat, and networking in this current state of esports outweighs your portfolio. Be sure to make connections aka get that LinkedIn account going! "I got a degree in esports."- Going to school is always a great option. If taught correctly and with new age methods getting a career in esports/gaming will most likely be much easier than someone who has not gone to school. Employers will see you as someone who needs less training since you have hopefully been taught how to manage many of your task that you will see in your day-to-day life at work. In this current age, a degree in esports or a related field levels you up greatly compared to the rest of applicants that lack that accolade. "I got a degree in esports."- I did not choose the degree route when entering my career in esports, so my views may be bias, but from my experience many people I have interacted with who have "esports" degrees most often don't understand the soul of esports at all. It's like they think esports organizations only succeed from making phone calls, making deals, and managing the teams. That is a major part of the business of course, but fans are what keeps the business afloat. Not just prize money and sponsorships. Most people with degrees still neglect "good content". They think "Hey, let's get Faker to do a TikTok dance" and call that "content". No doubt you need to produce content like that to keep the feed active, but this is as far as people's creativity gets in this industry right now. It's laughable. "I want to work in esports, but not sure what role."- The convenient thing about esports is the countless different paths you can take. I started as a player in multiple games, dabbling with teams, and competing in tournaments here and there. During this time, I discovered I was pretty good at entertaining people, so I became a streamer/content creator/blogger. Additionally, I fell in love with coaching (Halo/Rocket League) which led to my first "real job" in this business. Even if you aren't interested in these roles' organizations need roles filled in order to survive like editor, graphic designers, salespeople, managers, social media specialists, etc. "I want to work in esports, but not sure what role."- As many paths as this industry has to offer, we are living in a time where organizations are laying people off left and right. There is more than just one reason for this happening, but personally I believe it mostly has to do with just pure mismanagement. Many organizations went and over hired for roles that did not require that level of workforce. If an org hires you as graphic designer, you better be talented, creative, and most importantly visible to the company. Being talented and skilled is the best form of job security. Be sure to pick a path that you feel that you will excel at. And if you fail...go again just probably at another company.
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