Step 1 - Deciding I Wanted a Postgrad Qualification
Studying at postgraduate level has always been something I've considered, but I only decided I definitely wanted this for certain at the end of my second year of my degree. I found myself realising that my degree wasn't necessarily the most relevant to the future I wanted for myself. When looking at ways to deal with this, I discovered that you could study a postgrad course that was fairly unrelated to your undergrad, and this can be a good way to expand your job prospects because - not only are you qualified to a higher level - but also in more than one area. Looking back, I didn't really consider the challenge of postgrad, I just decided I wanted to do it because of this fairly shallow reason.
Step 2 - Learning About My Options
Through the end of 2018 and the very start of 2019, I found myself really exploring my options within postgrad study. I'd always told myself that if I ever didn't know where to go with my career, I'd just do a PGCE and settle down as a high school English/Art/IT teacher, and during last autumn I really found myself in this position, especially after attending the teaching talk at the Staffs Uni postgrad open event. Looking back, I think this was a very naive view to have - to think that I should just settle for a qualification and career that I know is safe, even though I have no passion for it, purely for the reason that I have no passion for anything else.
Luckily, it was around this time that I spoke to some friends of mine who are currently studying Staffs Uni's Esports BA. Though I'd recently become entirely enamoured with the esports industry, I was still unsure about the viability of it as option for my career. But through talking to these students, I realised that it was a genuine, sensible option. This - combined with my consultation with one of the uni's career's advisors - was what really cemented my idea of studying esports at a master's level.
Step 3 - Clearing Things Up
Now that I had finally settled on a postgrad course I was happy with, I had to research whether this was actually a viable option for me with the course I am currently studying, and also because this is the launch year of the course, so I needed to check it was even going ahead! To do this, I emailed the course leader (all email correspondences will be added below), but unfortunately received no response. Luckily, a friend of mine currently studying the esports degree checked with one of his lecturers what i should do next, and that lecturer pointed me in the direction of Dr Ying Ying Law, someone he knew would be perfect to go to as the course lead was not responding.
Ying Ying was extremely helpful and actually really put my mind at ease about the whole thing. Also, an unexpected benefit of this situation was that when I later helped out at the Digital School House event, I met Ying Ying in person and found it far easier to talk to her as we'd already done so online.
Step 4 - Beginning the Application
Due to the fact that I will be continuing my study at Staffs, there is an express application option for alumni. All I needed to do was send my information to the postgrad team, who forwarded it on to the relevant people for me.
From here, I received a request from the postgrad team that I submit a personal statement. I was really spooked by this, as I hadn't written a personal statement in years, especially not one that wasn't art-related. I did some research online to make sure my thoughts on personal statements were sensible and up-to-date, and set to work. I went through three drafts and consulted my lecturer, my mother (who's job involves interviewing and hiring people), my partner (who is currently studying esports) and my sister (who has done postgraduate applications herself), before ending up with the final version below. Overall, I'm really happy with my personal statement and the effort I put into it...
Step 5 - Offer and Preparation
A couple of weeks after sending my personal statement, I received an offer to study on the course, conditional on me achieving a 2:2, which I believe I am capable of. From here, I attended another open event to work out my finance options for funding my postgrad study (a vlog I created on this subject is set to be published on the Staffs Uni YouTube channel the week of my deadlines). I also sorted out sensible, good-value living accommodation for September, after my previous solid accommodation plan fell through.
Over the summer, I will be working more hours with the uni and the union to set some money aside to live off, and will seek to stay up-to-date with the news and progress in the esports industry. Both of these things will hopefully make my postgraduate life slightly easier.
https://youtu.be/P0wVO_qPhhY
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