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Update from Frøg 🐸
Hey everyone, it's been a while 😅
For starters, I'd like to announce that I will be stepping away from CS and esports indefinitely. I'm sure this doesn't come as much of a surprise, but the way things ended with Endpoint leading to my early return to Canada, paired with the state the ecosystem is in, partially due to VRS, but also frankly due to the limited long-term viability of esports, have made it pretty much impossible for me, and many others, to continue in the industry.
I don't wanna close the door on CS entirely, I still dream of one day passing on the knowledge I acquired in Europe, helping develop the next generation of players in Canada, maybe even starting my own org trying to create something akin to Passion UA, but ultimately that still feels like quite a distant dream. The current state of affairs doesn't help but I also feel like I'd want to be in a better position to give a project like that the time and resources it deserves. If I'm gonna do something, I wanna give it my all!
One good thing that's happened since being back in Canada has been me taking my health into my own hands. I've been able to get back on medication for my high blood pressure and hypothyroidism, which I wasn't on for roughly the last two years I was in Europe. For those who don't know, the thyroid gland regulates practically everything that goes on in your body, and being unmedicated, especially for so long, really affected my energy levels and likely was a big contributor towards my feelings of burnout. I'm not 100% back where I want to be, but one step at a time.
Honestly I'm not too sure what's next for me. I've been "home" for about half a year now, away from my wife and dog, and I can't lie it's been very difficult for me. I've been working full-time, I'm not 100% sure if I'll be continuing in this field, trying something else, eventually going back to school to get a degree, learn a trade, etc. Maybe I'll make another update post in a few months once I've figured that out, we'll see.
I also wanna clarify that while I don't have any intention of pursuing a career in CS anymore, that doesn't mean I won't still be hanging around. I don't really have the time to commit to a team, but I'm still more than happy to answer any questions people may have for me, take an afternoon here and there to share my perspective, etc. and my DMs will always be open. I'm also honestly just sick of the poor working conditions, lack of job security, opportunities constantly falling through, etc.
A massive thank you to the people who have supported me in my career, namely my lovely wife Phoebe (@Dualism97) who has supported me through all the ups and downs of the last few years. Thank you to Ryan (@RyanAtRBM) who gave me my first proper shot at writing at Rush B. I wanna thank Dillon (@DBantel_) and Alex (@moravek_) who allowed me to get my first paid job in esports at WePlay and all the amazing coworkers I met there like Arseny (@_koozya), Matt (@FoxyMW_), Pedro, Femi (@DisFeMIseF). Thanks to Dimi (@bvddetrony) and Andreas (cent) for taking a chance on me in Bravado and massive thank you to the players Jono (@Doru_cs), Wiljahne (@bvdwilj), Marchahn (@marchza_), Kian (@Triton_CS) and Aaron (@SloWye) for all the trust, by far the best group of gents a coach could've asked for, it truly felt like a family. Thanks to my friends Patrik (@OfficialpakesZ), Adham (@AdiIsStrange), Denis (@swichercs), Milan (@kSdCS2) and Chris (@BlindKidChris) for supporting me even when I won't come on to play at 3am. And shoutout to all the lovely people I've met through Liquipedia like @zyper_cs, @ZaykorCS, @MnmzzzCS, @iMarbot and many others. I'm sure I'm forgetting so many people, very sorry, but you know who you are and thank you for the support over the last few years, truly. 💜
It's been a good run, a great set of memories and I wouldn't trade that for the world.
Until next time,
Felix "Frøg" Bergeron
tl;dr retiring cause life innit
English
