Try to put aside your pre-conceived notions about the world of online gaming and its players. Prepare yourself to enter an alternate universe made up of strange places, and at times, stranger folks, to understand how playing games has become a viable, and lucrative, lifestyle for those with the skills. In our years of providing career guidance, this is certainly not one that we have suggested often or more accurately, at all, but it is one worth learning more about. The non-traditional pathway to career success includes quite a few potential pitfalls, but the rewards for investing in it are tangible. Young adults on a non-traditional path must chart their own courses, often without support from parents and mentors. Even those who are open to the idea are unlikely to be able to provide any guidance. Those on the non-traditional path are also investing time and training in an area that has unknown longevity, and are taking the risk that the skills and experienced developed will one day have no value. Player X is walking a tightrope without a net, and if he falls the road to career recovery will be much longer than if he'd enrolled in community college after high school. But Player X seems to be winning the gamble. He's on track to have half a million dollars in the bank well before he turns thirty. He has no student loans to pay off, and in fact has a significant nest egg to create investment income. If Runescape disappears tomorrow, he would not have the resume he'd need to apply for an alternative six figure position, or even many entry level positions. And yet financially, he would be ahead of his recent grad peers in most cases. He is in a position to finance his own education and to live comfortably on an entry level salary without seeking assistance from his parents, should the drive or the necessity to move into the traditional job market arise. Ready to meet Player X? Hit the "Start" button and join us on the journey.