Pro-Fan Pride: The Joy of Knowing

What makes you great as a profan/progeek – or a fan/geek/otaku that wants to turn their hobbies into a job?

The fact that you know this.

Seriously.  You, from your love of anime to your disturbingly deep knowledge of sports statistics, have an idea of just what you want to do with your life.  Your fanfic, fanart, web pages, blog posts, reviews, what have you all give you a bloody good idea of just what you should be doing in your career.

Right now you're lucky.  Right now you have direction.  Right now you have something you care passionately, deeply, obsessively about and will push yourself to achieve.  It could be anything from finishing a video game to writing a web page.

But you care and you know what you want to do.



Go to any bookstore and check the self-help sections.  There's a giant industry out there helping people who have no idea what they want to do with their lives.  They can be rich or poor, young or old, in any state/province of your nation and all of them are ready to buy any book to help them vaguely, hopefully get a grip on what their life is truly about.

You have that.  You live it in every anime you watch, every game you run, every story you write, every convention you manage.

You might not want to admit that to some people.  Your hobby may seem silly to them, you may  be close to buying the stupid idea that somehow hobbies can never be careers.  You may not even want to admit you're a fangirl, otaku, or geek.

Instead you should be proud, because even your silliest obsession or strangest hobby brings you closer to understanding yourself and what you truly want to do with your life.

Wave that progeek flag high.  Too many other people don't even have a flag in the first place.

– Steven Savage