Joshua Griffin-Meek studied BA (Hons) Esports at Staffordshire University after completing a foundation year and pursued his passion for Sim racing during his degree, gaining a wealth of industry experience.
The 22-year-old from Cannock said: “The lecturers have been a huge help and the course itself has been fantastic.
“I've specialised myself around Sim racing – being a Formula 1 fan it’s something that I've always been passionate about. Having opportunities to volunteer and do freelance work with the likes of PSGL and Alpine Sim Racing was fantastic and gave me even more passion for the industry.”
As well as industry work experience, Joshua helped to organise and run a number of student esports events, including Christmas charity fundraisers in support of the Jingle Jam Charities which raised over £1000.
He was also among the first students to make use of in brand new £2.7m esports facilities at the University’s Stoke-on-Trent campus which boasts state-of-the-art equipment used by professional broadcasting companies.
“Having more resources within the new facilities has been brilliant and really helped us advance a lot,” Joshua commented.
“Having this new arena, this new space where it is more similar to what it is like in industry, just blurs the lines between moving from the university course over into industry.”
Having graduated with a first class degree, Joshua has secured a role working as an Esports Executive at Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing and hopes his experience will encourage others to study esports.
“It’s utterly fantastic. I've been given all the skills I needed to learn to get into this role. I wake up every morning feeling absolutely blessed that I've got this position, but I’m also really looking forward to being able to adapt and see what I'm able to learn.
“The degree gave me the tools I needed to not only complete the course and feel a bit more belonging in this environment, but also helped me bring out the best in myself and bring me out of my shell.”
He added: “I would definitely recommend the esports course at Staffordshire University. If you've got a passion within esports it is something that you can get absolutely get chucked into right at the deep end.”
Discover your future with Clearing at Staffordshire University. Call 0800 590 830 or get an online offer at https://www.staffs.ac.uk/clearing