Increasing numbers of young video gamers view competitive video gaming and streaming as a potential lucrative career opportunity, rather than just a recreational activity. I, too, have thought about that.
Like many teenagers, I started spending my free time playing computer games and making videos. Today, it’s no longer unheard of for people to make good money creating content online. Why shouldn’t I be among them? I’ll tell you why. I’m in college. I want to be the first of my brothers to graduate. But the pull is still there. Every day, the colorful LED lights glow around my room as I power up my gaming PC to start a stream. I never know who will watch, maybe one, ten, or 100 viewers but the ambition to be the next, Ninja, Pokimane, and Kai Cenet keep me streaming. So, the question becomes…should I stay or should I go? Chadrick Keith from Coushatta is a box former college student who left to pursue his dreams.
GO
Waylon: How important is gaming to you and how does it impact your life?
Chadrick: I’ve been gaming every since I was little, from playing with my cousins at a young age and having so much fun playing growing up, I knew I would enjoy it while my life progressed.
Waylon: Was the choice of dropping out of college hard and how does becoming a streamer who games play a part in your decision?
Chadrick: Well, since I’ve dropped out of college, I’ve started my own wing business called Geaux Geaux Wings, and I find myself questioning if I should go back to college to major in business, but I have all the tools I need to to become a streamer, and with being a gamer becoming more and more of a thing, I put my energy and effort towards that when I’m not working.
Waylon: What are some issues you face on jump starting your career in gaming/streaming?
Chadrick: Finding time to actually focus on it with me having work (at the chicken wings store) and getting people to watch my stream to gain a audience.
Waylon: Did you make the right decision?
Chadrick: Honestly sometimes I think about going back, but I always think we make decisions that are beneficial to us in that moment. When I left college, I was doing what was best for me at that time.
STAY
With you starting a gaming career at an early age what made you further your education and not leave college?
Waylon : I stayed in college because of football, just like I had a dream to be a successful gamer, I had a dream to be an NFL player also.
Do you ever think about dropping out?
Waylon: Yeah , I think everyone who has multiple interest and talents thinks about dropping out of college, especially when I see people that inspire me who went to college and dropped out. That makes me question myself every day.
Will the decision of you staying in college effect the potential of you becoming a full-time gamer in a positive or negative way?
Waylon: It depends on how you look at it. Dropping out can put you ahead of others who want to become professional gamers, because you can just focus on that. You would not be dealing with school and homework other obligations and wondering “ should stay or leave. ?”
Did you make the right decision?
Waylon: Honestly, I don’t know, sometimes I feel like I’m wasting a lot of time in college, but then again. I want my degree, I’m very close now so dropping out isn’t an option anymore. But I have thought about it a lot.
What’s your degree in? Do you think it will help you in any way in the long run to have that?
Waylon: I’m majoring in Communications, and my degree does help me in the field of creating videos, writing, and other communications skills. Another reason why I’ve decided to stay in college. So I do think it will help me in the long run but there are some very successful in my field without an degree but me personally I feel that having a degree will put me ahead of people in this field.