Follow your dreams, but don't ignore reality.

A few days ago our sink overflowed, and I couldn't fix it*.  When the plumber came, we ended up talking and he told me about his teenage son, who wants to be a pro gamer.  That's awesome, and I applaud the dedication and drive!  But then he told me that, as a result, his son was considering not attending college to focus on his gaming career.

This post is for his son, or anyone considering making a similar decision.

Having a dream is wonderful thing!  Work tirelessly, overcome obstacles, and if you achieve it you will feel more fulfilled than I can describe in words.  I know, because my parents encouraged me to chase my dreams - and I caught a few.  You may reach your goal and never look back, but life is an unpredictable thing, and it is unwise to forget that.

When deciding whether to bring an umbrella, a coat, or any other preparation for adverse conditions, my grandma always said, "It is better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it."  The same applies to (for lack of a better phrase) "marketable life skills" such as a college education.

An eSports career starts young and ends young.  What will you do after it ends?  Comparing eSports to Olympic athletes, the majority of pro gamers are like gymnasts or figure skaters, who train from a young age and whose relevant competition years end well before they are 35.  Reflexes wane, and there is only so much one can age before experience will no longer compensate for the loss of ability.  Afterward, there may be the possibility of coaching or other jobs associated with the sport, but there are only so many coaches, and not everyone likes those jobs.  I have seen pro gamers with no other life experience go on to take regular minimum-wage service jobs, and that sucks.  Consider, instead, athletes like bobsledders or ski jumpers, many of whom have lives and careers outside of their sport.  They train regularly, and may even win Olympic gold, but during the off-season they are teachers, lawyers, etc.  When they get older they have the ability to survive without depending on the sport.

Attending college is a preparation for adulthood.  Being accepted into college is a privilege that not everyone has, and not everyone who enrolls will graduate.  It takes work.  The reason many jobs require a college degree, and don't necessarily care which subject you earned it in, is that having a college degree proves you can stick to something, through difficulties and setbacks, for multiple years until you accomplish your goal.  You can still compete in games while attending college, and at the end of those years you will have skills to fall back on, in addition to your gaming career.

SonicFox, a close friend of mine and one of the world's best Mortal Kombat X players, won over $100,000 by playing games this year.  He won the ESL online MKX tournament, and won MKX at Evolution, the world's largest fighting game tournament.  He is also taking multiple AP classes in high school, and applying to several colleges with his top choice already picked out.  He knows that his gaming career won't last forever, and he also knows what he wants to do after it's over.

If you are able to go to college, GO TO COLLEGE.  Your dreams will come with you.

--

* If you don't know the basics of unclogging a sink, fixing a toilet, or changing a tire, I say go learn.  All of them are useful skills that will save you and your loved ones multiple expenses throughout your life.  But when you can't do it yourself, call a professional!  Don't try something you're not sure about.