This document is not intended to show what we're looking for in a goldrider at High Reaches or even how to become one; however, Hassaleah's letter does just that. Here, I attempt to address the question of when one should go for gold. You already know that you want to ride gold at some point. You know how the process works and want to begin it, perhaps immediately - but is now as good of a time as any other?
So you're ready to apply for gold at High Reaches (or at any other Weyr), but you're not sure if the current time is the best one. You're prepared for the application process, you've read our Letter to Potential Gold Applicants - now what? One of the most important things to consider before even digging into the nitty-gritty of goldriding: Do you have enough time in your life outside of the game to commit to this? I can't stress this enough; RL comes first. I'm currently studying for my undergraduate degree; I know how difficult it can be to balance school with a major commitment to High Reaches and to the MUSH.
To clarify, I'm not saying that having a busy schedule is a bad thing; goodness knows we all have our lives that don't involve MUSHing - school, careers and families. And personally, I've found that having a busy schedule keeps me on top of things since time management quickly becomes more imperative. However, if you find that your schedule is so busy that you can't make it on to be visible and available in an OOC capacity at least once or twice a week, you may want to consider waiting for a different cycle.
One of the things that we consider when evaluating potential goldriders is diversity; what can you bring to the table that's unique and refreshing in an IC and OOC manner? Perhaps you have a talent for putting together exciting plots, or maybe you just really enjoy sprucing things up so that it's easier for other people to use them. You might have a knack for coding and building. Would your character bring a new element into the IC leadership of High Reaches?
Maturity is another crucial factor in goldriding or in being in any type of leadership position. This will probably be the most difficult one for you to evaluate yourself in. When I first attempted to go for gold, I was pretty sure that I knew exactly what I was doing and was self-assured of my own maturity and confidence. And, like many others who didn't Impress on their first try and made another attempt some years afterward, I'm quietly thanking the SearchCo that elected not to Impress me back then; I wasn't ready to take on this type of role, and I was utterly blind to it.
With that said, I'd like to stress that maturity does not equate to being the self-proclaimed best or the brightest in a group of applicants or candidates. It does not mean that you coded the most gifts during candidacy or ran the most plots. It does not mean that you strive your hardest to stick out as the cream of the crop in your candidate class and then pitch a fit after the hatching because you didn't Impress.
It does mean that you prove that you can handle situations to the best of your ability, that you run a plot or make gifts for people only if you really just enjoy doing those types of things, that you exercise common courtesy and that you take MUSHing with a grain of salt - please, folks, do remember that this is just a game, even after a Search cycle with a gold egg.
Generally, if you find that you can devote time to the commitment of riding gold, that you can bring something new and interesting to the table of the Weyr's leadership dynamics and that you can handle well the situations that you will encounter on your journey to and beyond that gold Impression, it's a good time to go for it. You might not be successful the first time despite it being a good time for you to attempt Impression, but a little persistence will more than likely pay off. Ultimately, please keep in mind that this is just my take on how to determine whether you are truly ready or not - the decision and evaluation is yours to make. Thank you for taking the time to review this document with our Letter to Potential Gold Applicants. Let me know if you have any questions.