Day jobs are a reality for many pursuing their dreams. Artists, actors, musicians, and yes, even esports players often need to rely on income from elsewhere to fund their truest of passions. And one pro women’s Counter-Strike player recently went viral for sharing what she does to make ends meet: Making sandwiches. Tilde Byström, known as 7liciousCSGO in pro Counter-Strike spaces and with a reputation as both a highly accomplished player and commentator, shared a photo of her day job as a way to highlight the reality of what it means to not just play professional esports, but to do so as a woman (h/t Dexerto). This year, ESL Impact, a women’s pro CS2 circuit, ended after a three-year run citing an unsustainable economic model. Speaking to Dexerto, 7licious said that working a day job is nothing new, however. Referencing the fact that she has been told countless times by men that she should “go back to the kitchen” to make someone a sandwich,“ she said, “I work by literally making sandwiches from 5-10 AM most mornings.” The post is “a combination of a joke,” she said, “but at the same time, to be able to survive and pay rent and still play CS2, especially in the current state of the scene for women’s CS, I have to also work a normal job, and pretty much always had to have side jobs while pursuing my dream!” And that dream includes a hope that the situation for women in esports improves, and that the barriers between men’s and women’s esports crumble. “The dream for me,” Byström said, “is that women’s CS can evolve so much that we can, in the future, have mixed teams!” The reality of having to essentially live two lives, one dedicated to a day job, the other to one’s true passions, isn’t easy to sustain. It’s bittersweet to see someone embrace the struggle of this lifestyle in stride while also recognizing the unfortunate economic and social realities that often prevent us from pursuing what matters most to us, especially for women.
https://kotaku.com/esl-impact-tilde-bystrom-7licious-csgo-cs2-2000646185
