Gamer Grind

The Daily Grind of a College Esports Team Director, Josh Dukes

By Tyler Traskos|Updated on June 27, 2023 (originally published on July 27, 2022)

Josh Dukes is a junior at the University of Michigan who is studying material science engineering, but he's not your average college student. Josh also serves as the director for the Overwatch team under the school's esports program, and his daily grind isn't all fun and games. Today, he gives us a look into a day in his life as a program director. From his insight we can see more about how collegiate esports works behind the scenes and what goes into making a top tier program.

Related: Rate the University of Michigan

8:30 AM: Wakeup/Breakfast

I try to start my day by 8:30am every morning. This gives me some time to get moving and get some breakfast before I have to head out for classes. I usually take a quick shower and grab something small to eat as I leave.

9:00 AM – 3:00 PM: Classes/Work

I'm in the engineering school, so I take a pretty heavy course load. I start class early in the morning and use time in between my classes to get going on work or do other things I need to do. For doing work I really like sitting in the Undergraduate Library. There's a lot of space and a café on the first floor so it's a nice place to get work done. I also grab lunch at some point during this period. The time depends on my schedule for the day but it's usually somewhere in between classes.

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Work/Relax

Once classes end I hop back on the bus to my apartment. I have a few hours before athletic stuff starts so I use this period to either get homework done or to just hang out for a bit. Some days I don't have as much work so I can get most of it done during the day. On days like this I can come home and relax for a few hours and watch some TV or something.

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Dinner/More homework

I usually like to eat around 5:00 PM. This gives me some time to make something if I want to. Once I make dinner and eat then I either do some more work or relax a bit more depending on the day.

7:00 PM – 11:00 PM: Esports work/Practice

Once I get all of my school work done for the day then I shift my attention to work for the esports program. As the director, I am responsible for things like scheduling matches and reaching out to potential opponents that are looking for a team to play also. I spend a lot of time posting on discord and other forums for Overwatch. I also work on outreach for our program, so things like making posts about our program and keeping up with social media sometimes. I'm also a part of the club team for Overwatch, so during this time is when we have a lot of our meetings or just play together so we can improve as individuals and as a team.

11:00 PM – 12:00 AM: Bedtime routine

Once we finish up for the night on the esports side of things I usually get ready to head to bed. I have a snack or something to decompress a little bit from the day. Then I brush my teeth and that kind of stuff. After all that it's time for bed!

What's a day in your life like? Share your Daily Grind at [email protected]