CERD, the Collegiate Esports Recruitment Directory, is a college esports recruitment database in which high school gamers can be recruited into collegiate esports teams. It was started by American high school esports enthusiasts Anish Lathker and Varun Verma.
After signing-up for free to CERD platform, gamers will be interested in a database which colleges regularly scout and will then be approached by colleges for scholarship and admission opportunities. Additionally, players can access CERD website to learn about opportunities available in college esports and read about some of the programs.
CERD discovered the collegiate esports industry at separate conferences, where colleges displayed their esports programs to the public. Upon learning about this seemingly revolutionary opportunity, they spoke to friends and family who were mostly skeptical that opportunities to play games in college for scholarships even existed. “Our families, mostly unaware of the opportunities and skeptical, urged us not to take after this” the guys said. Both of them had such a similar experience 1700 miles away without knowing the other existed. One day, they met through Discord. Varun had been running CERD for several months, and Anish joined him, having discussed their eerily similar stories. They both agreed that there is a huge misconception and lack of awareness surrounding the esports and collegiate esports scene. So both of them built on CERD to bridge this gap, aiming to provide a platform that supports young players and informs them of the opportunities available to them.
🚩Where do you see your business in the next year? In the next three years?
We see CERD as a major hub of esports education and opportunity. We plan to continue to provide support in the form of guides, conferences, combines, and general recruitment to foster an environment of understanding. Additionally, we want to bring international colleges to the platform to provide gamers all across the world the chance and education. We envision CERD at the front lines of the collegiate esports explosion providing opportunities to gamers worldwide.
🚩What is the future development of collegiate esports in the US?
College esports will only grow from here. We suspect that, in the next five years, every college in the United States will have esports available to some degree, whether it be a varsity program or a club team. We also expect a clear pipeline to be built from the collegiate esports scene straight to the professional esports scene, so college students will be able to play competitively beyond college and use their experiences in college to better themselves professionally.
🚩What is the key requirement to join a college varsity team?
To join a college varsity team, it is crucial to not only excel in-game, but also make sure that you are keeping up with your school work and maintaining decent academic standing. You are a student before you are an athlete, and college coaches take academic records into considering while recruiting players.
🚩What is the career path for students major in esports or gain a certificate in esports studies?
Esports is skyrocketing, and in 2020 alone, revenue exceeded 1.1 billion dollars, an increase of 10.6% over 2019. In today’s day and age, there are esports degrees, certifications, and minors exclusively for esports which serve the purpose of training students on how they can turn esports into a viable career. After obtaining one of these degrees of certifications, which vary in duration based on their specialization, you can expect to earn a job working at a college esports program, a competitive esports team, or an esports organization. This understanding of esports is rare with many job candidates, so you could also be a possible candidate for esports or sponsorship-related positions in larger, traditional organizations.
Next Post
In our next post we’ll talk about training to become a collegiate esports player and what you need to do get ready for the big move to a US college.
About ACA
ACA is an Asian-based sports and esports consultancy that guides student athletes and their families through the complexities of the US college recruiting process. We help promote students to all colleges in the U.S. that have esports teams. We assist families and their esports athletes through every step of the process from putting together a profile and academic history all the way through to college application and visa requirements.
