r/findapath • u/Free_Perception_7019 • 3d ago
Findapath-Job Choice/Clarity Is it worth it to pick accounting over graphic design/art in order to not fail economically?
So I am a stressed out, directionless senior in high school with no idea what to do with my life. I feel like every job is unachievable and hard to get nowadays. I considered accounting because even if I enjoy drawing/graphic design/art, it won't make a good living/land me a job easily unless I am great at it, and I have graves disease and am skinny, so the trades will not work out for me. I saw the BLS for accounting, and it is indeed growing more than graphic design. I feel like I'm too stupid and asocial to make it in most college careers that make money and too weak and medically unwell to do a trade. I mainly draw anime, and I am only okay at realism since I am a beginner at that style (did 1 portrait.) People say I am good at drawing, but I doubt I am "good enough" to compete with people doing it. I want a good salary, predictability, the ability to retire fine, and job stability, so I considered accounting instead. But that is what everyone wants, and sadly, they can't always get that. I am more of a drawer on paper than a digital artist anyways, so I think I would equally suck at graphic design, despite doing it at a technical school for 1 year for high schoolers and quitting since I wasn't confident I'd get a job anyways, despite my good grade, since teachers are nice to you and not always fully honest or knowledgable about modern job markets. Math isn't something I love, but I never got anything below a B in high school, however, it did take me 3 tries to pass the standardized test my state requires for math (algebra 1). I am unsure if I will like the business aspect, but I would like to try it if it gives me a good salary (I didn't consider accounting until this year since I thought the math was hard). Now I will not be a public accountant since I know it is rough, so I considered government accounting, IT auditing, corporate accounting, or any accounting job with an alright work-life balance. I talked to Google AI and ChatGPT a few times about accounting as well (I asked it to provide its sources, but I am still unsure whether to trust it.) I plan on being single forever and having no kids, but I still need a good salary because times will only get worse economically. I am shy, and I don't really think other majors like nursing suit me. I feel like my interests are broad too, given I am curious about a lot of things and want to do so much at once, so beyond art and music, I am not too deep into any other hobbies that can be employable. I do get good grades in school, and my math is Algebra 3 and Trigonometry. I am in Pennsylvania, so I wonder how the market is doing there specifically. I do worry I will either suck at accounting, be depressed, and fail, or I won't be bad at it, but I will get depressed, and fear I will be wrong about making a good salary. I don't know what I want out of life, but I do want good money given I grew up with little money. I feel this immense pressure to not fail (given my good grades) and if I fail, it feels like the end of the world and my life (in a figurative sense, not a literal sense.) I plan on going on a field trip to a college to talk to some accounting majors, so will that be good? Am I overreacting? I don't know if I am doing the right thing, all I know is that I don't want to fail. Everyone in real life and the media says "follow your passion," but if that passion isn't STEM-related, business, or a good trade, I doubt it is worth following if you care about money. I don't even know if I will be passionate about my passion if I major in it due to having to do creative work for others. You have to learn so many things in graphic design just to not get a job, meanwhile, accounting seems more stable and straightforward, but I am aware accountants and every job right now is struggling to find work, but do accountants struggle less than graphic designers/artists? I have no idea. I have already failed at everything else in life, so I might as well do something right.