The harsh reality of life as an aspiring young professional footballer is that, given the quantity of competition, the odds are stacked against you.
A pragmatic back-up plan is to be encouraged, and is supported by the Academy of Football’s Education department at Chadwell Heath, who assist those who have left the Club – and sometimes even the game itself – with uncertain futures.
Local-born midfielder Conor Okus was highly rated during a decade’s spell developing in east London, but sensibly recognised that football could be fickle – although that did not diminish his delight in wearing Claret and Blue.
“I was at West Ham from the age of eight or nine to 18 – a good ten years,” Okus recalls. “I was a local lad – I used to live in Chadwell Heath, just around the corner, 30 seconds from the training ground.
“There used to be a gate covering the training facilities, and there was a hole at the bottom of it. I used to climb through it every weekend with my friends when I was eight or nine, playing at the back of the training ground.
“When I got the opportunity to join West Ham, it was a mad feeling. I went to school in that area and West Ham's my local team, so from that perspective, it was very much loved in the local community, and it was a big part of my identity from the age of eight up to at least 21.
“It's a great community Club and has a long history of bringing through youth team players as well. I still have a lot of friends I made at West Ham. When I look back at it, I have no regrets, and a lot of fond memories.”
Okus ultimately departed West Ham as an 18-year-old in the summer of 2010, at the conclusion of his two-year scholarship at the Academy of Football – but not without making an impression on the first-team picture.
He recalls: “I enjoyed the summer of pre-season when Gianfranco Zola was manager, because he asked me and three others – Rob Hall, Jordan Brown and Cristian Montaño – to train with the first team.
“At the time I didn't realise what a big deal that was, to be in a first-team setting and be valued at that kind of level so young. I just remember Gianfranco being one of the best players in training when he used to get involved!
“We've got a WhatsApp group for some of the lads and I'm still very close with the likes of Ahmed Abdulla and Cristian and Jordan.
“There are these intangible skills and life lessons you learn just from being in a team environment that, at the time, you don't necessarily realise you're obtaining, but they definitely stand you in good stead in life.”
Okus would spend two years at Dagenham & Redbridge, then in the Football League, before departing as a 20-year-old and enjoying a succession of spells at teams in the Conference South and Isthmian League.
But by that stage, the Chadwell Heath-born youngster had found a new calling.
Okus explained: “When I got first got offered my scholarship, my parents, being people who value education a lot, still wanted me to have the opportunity to go to university if things didn't work out, so while I was playing, I would teach myself A-Levels.
“I went on to sign a pro at Dagenham & Redbridge, but I would still go into community college in the evenings just to make sure I had that as a back-up.
“I then went to Goldsmiths at the University of London to study Computer Science, because I wanted to study something that I felt was quite practical and had tangible skills I could use to be a bit creative and build things.
“I did that, then I got the opportunity to join the Sky Software Engineering academy, which was a big opportunity for me.
“Even during that period, I was playing non-league football as well. It's only this season I stopped playing, but before that, the whole time, I was still playing non-league, local football and stuff, to keep fit and enjoy myself as a hobby.”
From a forward-driving young midfielder to a forward-thinking technology expert, Okus these days works in cryptocurrency – digital currencies secured by cryptography.
The 30-year-old also travels the world – even in the last 18 months, Okus reveals he has been to the Middle East, Mexico and the United States in his work – and helps to run a website which simplifies the basics of the primary cryptocurrency.
He explained: “I work for a division at a company called Square Crypto, and our mission is to make Bitcoin more than just an investment mechanism.
“We fund around 30 different developers and designers across 18 or 19 countries who are working on various open Bitcoin projects, ultimately aimed at making it more accessible to the mass population.
“In a country like the UK, the leading narrative is around Bitcoin being a way to make money, but we believe it can be a lot more than that as a new currency. It could be a way to make financial services more accessible to people around the world.
“For us living in the UK or the US, we've always had access to a bank account and been able to save for the future, and we've always had a stable currency and economy, but there are several billion people who don't have that.
“It's something we take for granted, so it interests me a lot how there are going to be generations in the future who completely bypass the decades of banking infrastructure that we've been accustomed to, and who are going to move into this new way of conducting themselves economically just because they have smartphones.
“From a technology point of view, it's interesting to be a part of just building and making things like that.”
The focus of Okus’ career might have shifted from football – but he remains a forward-thinking, pragmatic individual whom you sense is still near the beginning of his journey.
At the same time, he won’t forget his Claret and Blue roots: “If West Ham get to the Europa League final, I'll definitely be there, watching from start to finish – and showing love and support!”
If you’re a former player who’d like to reconnect with the Club, please email [email protected]