Why not get paid to be a gamer?

 Guest poster Loren here again:

With the recent years of economic decline, people have been forced to explore different career options. Where once, people may have been otherwise stable in their job, comfortable with the price of cars, and stress-free when it came to paying their bills - given the realities of today, they are being forced to look elsewhere for employment and education.

Not only are people looking for ways to pay the bills, but they are also looking for ways to relax and unwind; to escape from the frets and worries of their day-to-day lives. Many times, people escape to the tune of an iPod, computer screen or personal gaming device. You can see why escaping to this virtual world is so appealing. You can be in a completely different realm with the switch of a button.

With all this “escaping” going on, have you ever said to yourself, “For as much time as I spend playing these games, I should be making them!”

Well, why not?

Your current job is mediocre, at best. You’re barely paying the bills. Life as you know it has become one big ol’ ball of stress. 

WHY NOT!?!

Why not do something that you enjoy? Why not take charge of your own life and career, instead of having your career take charge of you? Why not live to play and play to live?

If this is sounding like one of those two o’clock in the morning infomercials, taunting you to call the 1-800 number in the next 30 minutes or you miss your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity…rest assured, it’s not.

All this is is an opportunity to ask yourself “why not?”

Why not turn all those hours spent escaping your reality into your reality? 

The best (or worst) part is, you won’t even have to quit your day job. There are many ways you can pursue a career in the electronic gaming industry. One of which, is an online education. 

The online world has an amazing array of subjects and degrees available. You can study anything from art and healthcare, to criminal justice and technology, all while earning an Associate's, Master's or Doctoral degree.

Even within the world of electronic gaming, there is an abundance of career choices. There are coders and programmers, artists and designers, testers, musicians and even producers. 

What you need to do is decide what you’re good at and what you enjoy. Then pair that up with a career option. Take for instance, a programmer. Programmers need to have a long attention span, knowledge of computer programming languages and a background in physics and trigonometry. If math isn’t one of your strong suits, then being a programmer may not be your cup of tea. However, if you organize well, communicate effectively and have a strong knowledge of marketing ideas and concepts, then job as a producer may be a better fit for you. 

The fact is careers in the electronic gaming industry are on the rise. The momentum has sped up and doesn’t look like it’s taking a downturn anytime soon. By taking courses online, you can jump into your studies and continue working your “day job” to cover your necessities; all while moving toward the job of your dreams.