Hey! You! Are you interested in starting a career in the gaming industry? Well, if so, Microsoft has a program that might be right up your alley.
As of today, registration is now open for the global Xbox program, Mentoring: Kickstart Your Gaming Career. This initiative is open to women 18 years of age or older, and will not cost accepted parties a dime. Thus, there’s no risk in applying.
The program’s initiative involves helping women find their footing within the gaming industry, through the aid of established mentors from the Xbox community. These ladies — who all come from different regions — include a Canadian, as well as an American, among a roster made up of numerous nationalities.
Read on for more details:
- Registration for the program is free and open to everyone ages 18 years of age and older
- The deadline to register is April 17; mentees will be selected later in April
- Mentees will receive a one-on-one virtual coaching session with the mentor in their region:
- Venessa Nyarko, Producer at The Coalition Studio is the Canada-based mentor. Vanessa develops frameworks to make the best plays, getting the right people in the right conversations and executing on bringing all the pieces together for epic gameplay.
Why is this mentorship program important? The impact of mentorship is significant and apparent:
- Mentees are promoted five times more often than those without mentors and similarly, mentors themselves are 6 times more likely to be promoted.
- According to a 2019 survey, 82% of men have had male mentors, while just 69% of women have had female mentors. Additionally, most women (7 out of 10) shared they prefer to have female mentors.
- And in gaming, Xbox’s ‘Mentoring: Kickstart Your Career’ can help support the next generation of leaders and close the gap between the women gamers and those who work in the industry: according to the ESA, across all players and ages, 45% of gamers identify as female while only 24% of those working in the industry are women.
Head here if you’re interested in registering.