Esports: Pathway to Universities

Esports is getting more and more action oriented on the collegiate level. Now is the time to join!

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There hasn’t even been a better time to join esports, especially as a college student. With 170 universities (and climbing!) housing varsity league esports teams, offering $16 million in esports scholarships yearly, it’s no wonder why. Whether you’re into first-person shooters, multiplayer online battle arenas, or sports games, esports makes for an excellent pathway towards universities and your future career. Especially with Coastline College’s Esports Club's work building bridges through esports to local colleges like Westcliff University, now is the time to join!

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Opportunities in Esports

The world of esports is about to burst. The amount of academic possibilities are overflowing for students interested in esports. From scholarships to career programs, esports is hot right now and it’s only getting hotter.

How to Get Scholarships

The list of colleges with collegiate esports teams looking for successful gamers is growing each day. Since esports is fairly new, getting an esports scholarship can look different per school and person. NCSA, the official recruiting services partner for NACE, the National Association for Collegiate Esports, recommends joining an esports club or team. Begin marketing yourself to different schools through building a Twitch following and winning tournaments. You can also look at specific schools with varsity league esports and apply. Once you start making a name for yourself in esports, college recruiters will take notice. As the popularity for esports rises, as it most certainly is, more and more scholarship opportunities will become available.

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Californian Opportunities

As a Coastline College Esports Club student, esports opportunities are ripe for the picking. With colleges like University of California Berkeley, University of California Irvine, University of California Los Angeles, and many more Californian universities gearing up for varsity collegiate esports on the way, the proximity of opportunity is tangible. But even beyond that, there are plenty of colleges throughout the country looking to fill their varsity esports teams with proficient gamers. Anywhere from the University of Utah to Maryville University, there are plenty of schools out there looking to help pay for your academic success while you dominate on their esports teams. Whether you want to stay in California or start your adventure elsewhere, there is plenty of options with esports.

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Skills Through Esports

I interviewed Dr. Dana Emerson, a Dean at Coastline College, to understand how esports contributes to positive academia. As well as growing gamer skills, Dr. Emerson said that “leadership … social, and interpersonal skills are developed and refined” in an esports club, which are skills “that the workforce is seeking in employees”. “Learning how to work in groups, negotiate boundaries and outcomes, problem-solve, communicate, organize and most importantly, create an environment of inclusiveness” are all skills that students will learn while having a blast playing video games in their esports club.

Brightened Bridges

Another reason to join an esports club now is that “community colleges and universities are building programs designed specifically for the esports industry”. Not only that, “community colleges” like Coastline College “are partnering with universities to build pathways for transfer and degree completion with scholarships”. As esports as a whole is taken more seriously, bridges between high schools, community colleges, and universities will become more and more common and accessible.

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All for One, One for All

Dr. Emerson also notes that “esports is all inclusive”. That means that regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, geographic location, or skill level, you can join and be successful in esports. That also means that whatever your interest, you can find joy and growth in esports. Whether you are aspiring to be a computer programmer, scientist, art designer, journalist, business woman/man, or anything in between, students can find success in esports.

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Life Beyond Esports

How esports helps students from community colleges to universities is the first step. The next is how esports can help you excel in school and benefit you in the career you want.

Majors and Jobs Inside Esports

When it comes to esports, there are many avenues of success. For one, according to the National School Boards Association, students involved in esports clubs have more than 10% better attendance and earn around 1.7 better GPA’s than other students. Academic success is part of healthy esports gamers.

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Now, with academic success out of the way, what majors and jobs are there within the esports ecology for students that don’t wish to go pro? Coaches, team managers, editors and producers for tournaments and marketing, engineers, PR representatives, account executives, journalists, social media managers, and much, much more are all viable careers in the booming world of esports. Majors for students interested in those careers range from business, electronic engineering, accounting, communications, digital media, and English; all available through Coastline College.

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Jobs Outside Esports

What if you want a career outside of esports? As discussed before, the skills learned in an esports club will apply to numerous jobs in your future. Say you want to be a nurse. Your hand-eye coordination and time management are both skills that increased through your involvement in an esports club which will help you in that career. What if you wanted to go into politics? Your leadership and social skills sharpened during your time in an esports club will help you excel. For any career, the skills you picked up in an esports club will help shape you into an impressive and successful employee.

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Through countless opportunities and imperative improvement, becoming a member of an esports club shouldn’t wait. Take control of your life and find creative freedom, personal improvement, and a pathway to universities by joining an esports club.