EPTI pretty much retired from gaming in November of last year, and a lot has happened since then. I returned home from Romania a little before Christmas 2012 and began looking for a job. I really didn't have a plan, I just knew that my time in pursuing gaming had come to an end. I signed up for technical school and started that in January of 2013. It only took a few months and I accomplished a certificate in Aerospace Manufacturing, which is enough to get an entry level job at companies like Boeing. During this time I was also applying for jobs everywhere; not just at Aerospace companies but also at places like Walmart, where I ended up getting a job
I worked there for 3 weeks unloading trucks. It was a nice experience, but 3 days after I had accepted the job, I got a call for an interview at a Corrugated plant, where I work now. It's a good job with surprisingly good pay and benefits. When I tell people I just make cardboard/boxes all day I'm sure that they are thinking I make minimum wage or something, but that's not at all the case. We are part of the steel workers union and get medical, dental, and a pension. Not only that but the plant is right outside my city. Literally less than a 10 minute drive from my house. Lately the weather has been nice, so I've been considering buying a bike and getting up the extra hour or so to ride that in. I am super blessed to have this job (I've been here for about 2 months now). But at the same time I am also getting pretty drained. Summer is a busy time for the company, so for the past 2 months I have been working 60+ hours per week. 10-12 hour days 6 days a week (but they only make us work an 8 on Saturday.) This weekend is the first time I've had more than 1 day off in a row, I actually have 3 days off. It is pretty active work, if I had more time I would explain more about what I do, but I am on my feet the entire day. There is a lot of button pushing, stooping, lifting, and my arms have grown quite nicely in size, laugh. I am still learning at my job, but I am already planning ahead. I don't want to be stuck here for the rest of my life, so I've begun to learn programming in what little spare time that I do have. That has meant sacrificing gaming. I uninstalled both SC and LoL. It's impossible to have it all, there is only so many hours in a day. Perhaps someday I will be able to return to gaming in some way, but right now I am content with the direction that I am headed in. I want to thank everyone who supported me while I was a pro gamer. I know I didn't have a lot of fans but I did appreciate the ones I had. Synitza you are the first to come to mind. I made so many awesome friends; I have bouts of nostalgia all the time and it reminds me of how blessed I am for the experiences I've had. Lukkas, Andrei, Valentine, Jonathan (ReSpOnSe), Justin (SleEpy), all of my NrS teammates and the employees at the NewRoSoft office. Shout out to the Seattle SC scene, I miss all of you guys. Kawaii, and my buddy Sonic. I miss you Wen, and hope that you are doing well. I am sorry that I have seemingly dropped off the face of the earth. I am just busy getting my life in order. I like to joke with my dad that I am pretty much making up for all the fun I had as a progamer.
I just want to encourage everyone that it's never too late to make a change for the better. My life looks completely different from what it looked like 8 months ago. I really miss gaming, but I know that I've made the right choice. Peace be with you all.
-Austin "RaNgeD" King
