When choosing a career path, there are far too many things to consider, aren’t there? From earning enough money to having progression options, there are countless things to consider and it’s difficult to find a career that has it all on top of being enjoyable.
One of the less obvious things to think about is how sustainable a career is. Some jobs have been and always will be needed – carpenters, plumbers, and lawyers for example. Other jobs aren’t quite so future-proof: Once upon a time, factory-workers were slowly replaced by machinery that could complete their tasks at a much faster rate and without the need to be paid a weekly wage.
Though it is to a lesser extreme, this is still true now – some jobs will be needed for the foreseeable future, while others are less secure and could, in a few decades, become obsolete. Placing esports in this ever-changing realm is quite difficult – one of the risks of ‘new’ career-paths is that there is a very real possibility that they won’t be around for all that long – especially when they are tied to technology.
How about esports then?
Though esports have indeed only been around for a few years or decades at most, they have shown to be stable and to have plenty of growth potential. While there is no way to say with certainty, esports appear to take the same path that smartphones once did – written off as a fad by ‘experts’ only to become a household item/service in no time flat.
Precisely because esports as a career is still very young (though in part also because of the relaxed environment gaming tends to create), there is still a lot of motion in the sector. In other words, while some careers have a fixed path that leads to them, this is not the case for esports. This means that talent from all sorts of background can join relatively easily.
Recognising talent
Joining a career that allows for self-expression and individuality can be one of the most rewarding choices people can make – esports has that, as well as the potential for a long-term future, but not for every job there is. Pro players especially tend to have short careers, often already retiring from pro teams in their mid- to late twenties.
Other careers in the industry are far more long-lived, such as presenters, technicians or even game developers – there are countless opportunities for people to use their talent in this industry. That is one of the things that point towards a positive future for esports as a career field – it’s a wide and varied area that is essentially a self-sustaining mix of different jobs, fields, and interests.
Becoming part of that, be it as a pro player or anything else can be a unique experience for people of all ages and all walks of life – after all, the industry is being shaped by every single member of it at this very moment. Esports clearly has a future both as a type of entertainment and as a career field.
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