Generation Alpha and Gen Z are enthralled by video games. With more access to video games than ever before, and more opportunities for scholarships and competitive play, more and more students are wanting to grow up to be professional esports athletes! Giving students the opportunity to be part of an academic esports team in school does so much more for them than just giving them an opportunity for competitive gaming. In fact, academic esports is a gateway to a surprising variety of fulfilling and high-paying careers! Through esports, your students can discover a passion for STEM while exploring a variety of potential career options.
Discover the wide variety of careers available for esports students as they grow up into professionals in the working world:
Hardware
- Engineer: Esports players are in constant search for the latest and greatest tech that will give them a competitive edge in their games. Students that dream of being inventors can find great success in creating new and better hardware for gamers! National Average Salary: $116,000
- IT Support: Where there’s computers, there’s a need for workers that are able to fix them. That’s no different for the esports industry! Students that are already offering your teachers help in their classrooms could one day make a career of keeping esports tournament systems up and running! National Average Salary: $51,000
- Network Technician: Students interested in technical repair work can make a comfortable living by ensuring esports tournament networks run smoothly and securely. Network technicians focus on troubleshooting and fixing malfunctions - a perfect career for a student that loves solving problems! National Average Salary: $72,000
Media
- Graphic Designer: Imaginative students can begin their creative careers as graphic designers for esports teams, sponsors, events, and various esports-centered companies! By building up their experience with design, they can use art to establish brands, design websites, and more! National Average Salary: $51,000
- Shoutcaster: The charismatic video-game enthusiast can find great success when they apply their gift of gab to the esports industry. While commentators at entry-level competitions can earn freebies, the field has a high ceiling! The highest paid shoutcasters currently earn six-figure salaries! Salary for Top-end Shoutcasters: $75,000
- Journalist: Over the past decade, the amount of publications reporting on esports tournaments has exploded. Esports players that love to write could find a lucrative career in esports journalism! National Average Salary: $82,383
Operations
- Data Analyst: Similar to other professional sports, the esports industry has a great need for data-minded workers. Calculating and presenting player success rates, aim accuracy, and actions per minute (APM) can support a comfortable lifestyle for those with a love for numbers! National Average Salary: $75,000
- Business Development: Socially active students with a gift for making connections can use the esports field to successfully support themselves! Tournaments in search of sponsors and business partnerships need skilled connectors to reach out to companies for funding! National Average Salary: $130,000
- Manager/Coach: Players who are interested in leadership positions and management can find a stable position as a team’s manager or coach. Students that have a knack for scheduling, supporting the well-being of others, and leading practice sessions can excel with a team of players underneath them. National Average Salary: $62,000
Health Science
- Psychology: Video game enthusiasts that are interested in the mind and mental wellness can find their calling in psychology. With an emphasis on the emotional state of professional gamers and on researching the benefits of video games, a student interested in a more scientific career can excel in this field! National Average Salary: $87,000
- Nutritionist: Professional esports teams take every step possible to make sure their bodies and minds are in their best state for tournaments. Students interested in food science could specialize in keeping players fueled through their busy gaming schedules! National Average Salary: $66,000
- Physical Therapy: When esports players get big enough to go pro, their physical health can make or break their success. Gaming many hours a day can take a toll on hands, wrists, necks, and backs! Students that are interested in physical fitness could make a career out of keeping professionals physically fit and ready. National Average Salary: $89,000
Software
- Product Manager: Video game enthusiasts with skills in organization and leadership can be inspired to enter the product management career via esports. Working with a team of game developers, this career option is an excellent opportunity to use a knowledge of gaming to make amazing experiences for competitive gamers! National Average Salary: $111,000
- Game Developer: One of your students has the potential to build the next great esport game. Creative students who learn to code can create amazing projects that shape the next generation of competitive gaming. National Average Salary: $115,000
- Cybersecurity Specialist: Whenever a game or event requires the internet to function, cybersecurity specialists are needed to keep things safe! Detail-oriented students interested in computer science will thrive in this environment! National Average Salary: $98,000
Marketing
- Advertiser: Creative students who aspire to become screenwriters, marketers, or writers can use esports as an entry into the industries! Both tournaments and professional teams hire creatives to sell their brand, tickets, and merchandise. Advertising is an excellent job to learn a wide variety of skills! National Average Salary: $32,000
- Public Relations Specialist: Students interested in marketing and influencing public perception can begin their careers as well-paid public relations specialists. This career offers a lot of room for growth in the marketing industry, too! National Average Salary: $57,000
- Social Media Manager: The aspiring influencer can find a stable income in social media marketing for esports teams and tournaments. Players who enjoy gaining followers and sharing exciting content on Tik Tok, Instagram, or Twitter could make a living by working in the esports industry! National Average Salary: $50,000
Events
- Broadcaster: For those interested in news casting and media, esports broadcasting is the perfect field! With a need in the industry to inform audience members of events and outcomes, charismatic students could find their niche here! National Average Salary: $51,000
- Production Manager: Students interested in the entertainment industry could be inspired to manage the production of esports tournaments. From scheduling to execution, to hiring, this fast-paced career can have participants orchestrating exciting events! National Average Salary: $55,000
- A/V Technician: In order for esports tournaments to run, the events need skilled videographers and sound engineers that can capture the attention of online audiences. Students with a passion for photography, editing, and cinematography can flourish in this career! National Average Salary: $43,000
Legal
- Contract Writer: Professional teams and tournaments must pay special attention to crafting clear legal requirements and rules for their participants and staff. Detailed-oriented students interested in the law and writing can find themselves crafting contracts for teams and tournaments! National Average Salary: $52,000
- Sponsorship Executive: Your school’s student body treasurer will especially excel in this field. Those that are particularly good at mathematics and handling money could become responsible for providing sponsorships to esports players! National Average Salary: $104,000
- Agent: Esports players that are interested in pursuing a law degree can find much success by focusing their studies on video games, esports, and gaming. The blossoming esports industry will certainly have a need for more lawyers knowledgeable in the field in the coming years! National Average Salary: $50,000
Interested in discovering how your students can use esports to discover their future careers? Mastery Esport’s newest program, Career Explorations in Esports, is a one-of-a-kind elective that allows students to explore a variety of high-paying professions inside the dynamic, multi-billion dollar industry of esports. Through the program, students use gaming to discover their future passions.
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