I'm Stuck and Don't Know What to do Next

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WanderingAviator
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Age: 25
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Location: Seattle, WA

25 Sep 2019, 1:48 pm

Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice in regards to career opportunities. If you don't know me yet, I'm a 21-year-old who's just earned an Associate in Arts degree, and I've been working as a courtesy clerk at my local grocery store for the past 4 years. I like working with computers, drawing, assembling things, writing, having a routine that is not too mundane, moving around, and having some kind of social interaction. The problem is that I'm currently stuck at my current job with no opportunity for promotion, and all other attempts to apply for jobs in my area have failed. Keep in mind that I live on an isolated island in Western Washington, so opportunity is limited, and I can't go to Seattle for help on a daily basis. I don't know whether I should continue school or find a career that doesn't require a Bachelor's degree.

When I graduated high school, I was originally going to become a graphic designer, but I realized that just getting admitted into an arts program means spending time to make a quality profile, time that I never had because of all the prerequisites I had to do for my Associate's degree. If I'm going back to school, I plan on going back in about a year, which I feel is not enough time for me to get a portfolio done. I fear that even if I finish a graphic design program, I won't be able to get a job because of how competitive the field is.

I've thought about becoming a writer of some sort if I couldn't go into graphic design. What are your thoughts on these two careers? Are there any other careers that might appeal to me?



jimmy m
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25 Sep 2019, 2:28 pm

Commercial Art And Graphic Design is listed at 146 out of 162 in college majors based on earning potential.
Writers (English Language and Literature) is listed at 132 out of 162.

Source: The most valuable college majors, ranked

On the other hand Computer Science is listed at 18th with a $87,000 median income. The field has a 3.1% unemployment rate. About 40% of individuals in this field have advanced degrees.

Computer and Information Systems is listed at 36 with an average median salary of $71,000.
Computer Programming and Data Processing is listed at 50 with an average median salary of $66,700.

So your special interest in computers may be a better choice.


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WanderingAviator
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Joined: 10 Aug 2019
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26 Sep 2019, 7:08 pm

Thank you so much for the link and information! I just got home from talking with an admissions advisor at one of the colleges I'm looking at, and she said that I would've had to taken several more prerequisite courses in community college that I didn't take in order to get into their GD program, so I guess it only confirms that graphic design is not really for me at the moment. But that's okay, I don't think I ever had the drive for it anyways.