In the wake of the Pokémon Go craze that has totally dominated the digital sphere since its launch two weeks ago, it seems those who downloaded the app have been unable to do anything else but look for new Pokémon. We heard about the boss who wrote a viral letter reprimanding one of his employees for using work time to play the game, but one inspired dude from New Zealand believes that playing the game is an actual career. A man identified as Tom Currie has reportedly quit his job to be a full-time Pokémon Go trainer.
Currie worked as a barista and bartender at a restaurant on the Hibiscus Coast near Auckland, but decided to give all of that up to pursue his real dream: chasing and capturing digital Pokémon on his smartphone. While Currie is relying on friends and family to help him fund his new lifestyle, he admits that his parents said they were "a little bit baffled" by his decision, BBCreports.
Currie didn't initially tell his boss the reason he quit, but he ended up contacting his boss and giving him the real scoop when the story got picked up by news outlets. Currie's boss was reportedly very encouraging of his decision, saying, "Good on you Tom. It is really funny. I hope everything is OK. Have fun for your Pokémon trip."
So far it seems like Currie doesn't regret his decision to quit his paying job. He's captured 91 of the available 151 Pokémon, and he appreciates that his quest has led him to explore towns he's never been to. "I have been meeting heaps of people, tourists traveling the country and other Pokemon trainers at the small (sometimes huge) public gatherings," he said. Currie also said people have started to recognize him around New Zealand and that he's received plenty of encouragement from them. "One guy even called me his hero for doing what I'm doing," Currie said.
Currie plans to return to Auckland and find work again after his Pokémon adventures have come to an end, but for now, he is the true embodiment of "gotta catch 'em all."
