For majority of World of Warcraft players, raiding and killing Alliance players (or Horde, if you so choose to swing that way) isn’t our full-time jobs; at least, not the type of job that puts clothes on our backs and food in our stomachs. And no, I’m not talking about our characters in game. While the long hours and late nights devoted to World of Warcraft may sometimes feel like you’re walking into the office, let me give you a harsh reality check – your bank account isn’t growing (if anything, it’s actually decreasing with the monthly subscription). There’s no paycheck to look forward to at the end of a four hour raid night, and sometimes players can go days or weeks without seeing a piece of loot. But there’s something to be said about the skills World of Warcraft players may walk away with – skills that may help them survive Corporate America.
You’re Going to Make Mistakes – And You’re Going to Learn from Them
Wipes happen. It’s an inevitable part of the game, whether you PvP or raid. Raiding especially, wipes are considered a learning process, however incredibly frustrating it is. But it’s an essential part of the process, a systematic formula to adapt and learn through trial and error that every raider silently agrees to take. Within Corporate America, the pretentious notion of taking a misstep in the office is thought of as career suicide – at least for those not savvy enough to point a finger. That’s not the case, however. True confidence reflects in an employee’s ability to not only recognize their errors but accept them and develop a concrete plan of how they’ll avoid making the same mistake twice. If raiding has taught me anything about wiping, it’s that wipes are unavoidable and, quite frankly, are a requirement for growth. And in the midst of a raid and for the better of the group, there’s no time to dwell on your mistakes or point fingers. Take your wipes with stride and learn from them – use it as growth instead of a crutch.
Everyone is Replaceable in World of Warcraft and the Workplace
I tell all of my World of Warcraft raiders up front that none of them are irreplaceable. Sure, I have strong friendships with most of my guys, having raided with them for years, but each and every one of them earns their core spot. Nothing’s free in this world, and when it’s an employer’s market, this ideation cannot be truer for the competitive job market, especially Corporate America. Earn your keep and continue to maintain it. Always keep a humble mind where your expertise is a concern, for there will always be others who have mastered your craft better than you. Continue to hone your skills and grow on your offerings to the company. If you become stagnant in your toolbox to your employer, your employer will become stagnant in what they have to offer you.
Sometimes Your Job Sucks
They don’t call it work for nothing. No matter what you do – hobby, sport, job – you’ll have to put in hard work. Nothing comes easy, and if it did, where’s the reward? In raiding, rewards are extrinsic (loot) and intrinsic (that fuzzy, warm feeling when you kill a boss for the first time). But let’s be honest, sometimes the mechanics suck and, depending on your class/role, you may get stuck doing the “odd job”. In my raid, we call that the “utility bitch” or “bitch duty”. Your dps or hps suffers in exchange for you completing a specific mechanic. Instead of seeing your stellar performance in a quantitative measure on the meters, you’re left in the dust with nothing more than the peace of mind that you helped killed the boss indirectly. And more often than not in Corporate America, being the “utility bitch” is a full-time job. Your tasks, especially in an entry-level position, may seem meaningless and horrifically monotonous, maybe even akin to something out of “Office Space”, but it’s your job. You serve a special purpose in the company, maybe not something you see directly, but you’re important to the overall structure. The problem is not your job – the problem is your mindset. Stop thinking on an individual level and try considering the large goal of your organization.
People Like to Feel Important and Needed
This advice is more for people in a managerial role. When I began raid leading, I started to notice people volunteering for responsibilities. They wanted to be officers and they wanted their opinions heard, no matter how trivial. They wanted to have something to call their own and contribute in some way. Finally pushing my controlling traits aside, I started to assign people small responsibilities: making flasks, disenchanting, providing food buffs. While the duties may have seemed small, they were incredibly useful to the group as a whole and offered the player a feeling of self-worth. I try to make a point to actively thank my raiders for their efforts and time, even for the small tasks. Within Corporate America, if you’re working for a large company, showing appreciation to each individual employee may seem daunting, but really it’s not. A simple “thank you” or “I appreciate it” suffices and can do wonders for the employee. Show them you value their work and they’ll continue striving for that praise.
Visit the World of Warcraft official site for more information about raiding and pvp here.