I’m a junior in high school, and I’m lost on what career to pursue. I’ve always loved fashion designing since I was little, but it seems really hard to even get a decent paying job. If I don’t get lucky, I’d have to work for years just to reach the starting salary of a computer engineer. I’m decently interested in computer engineering, but I’m trying figure out whether slogging and making money is worth doing something I like rather then something I love. And then there’s architecture. I’ve always loved it, and I was setting on pursuing until I realized how stressful and constant it is. It’s hard to get your name out there, and even harder to actually make money.
I’ve mentioned money a lot, and it’s not the only thing swaying my decisions, but I consider it a big part. While yes, I could settle for less money and do something I love, it’s hard to say that and realize as a fashion designer, I won’t be able to explore the fashion industry financially - it’s something I’ve always the luxury of, and it’s one of the things that has fueled my love for the industry.
So I guess I’m really asking, should I become a computer engineer, make my family happy, and make good money, but semi-enjoy what I do? Or become an architect and love what I do until I realize my designs may never be built? Or should I pursue my passion and try to become a fashion designer in a world full of too many fashion designers and not enough jobs?
I would first take a class in each discipline you are interested in so you can find your true passion. Maybe you could double major in college, but a triple majors would be a lot so don’t overload yourself. Ultimately, it’s your life.
Liking a field - even being passionate about it - isn’t the same as needing a career in it. It’s like you said about fashion; do you actually want to work in it or do you just really love clothes? Is it more important to you to design clothes (so important that you don’t mind putting in unpaid labor at long hours just to potentially work your way up to a position)? Or is it more important for you to own nice clothes (in which case actually working in fashion can be hard on that, at least for the first few years)?
Of course, the first thing is that you don’t need to decide this now - you’re a junior in HS. You have plenty of time, and you can even change careers later.
Second of all, realize that passion is not the goal. Most adults are not “passionate” about their careers; they did not go into them to find their “true passion.” The goal is to find a job that you like well enough, that leaves you reasonably content, and that provides you with the standard of living that you want.
[Why you shouldn’t follow your passion](why you shouldn’t follow your passion — Ask a Manager)
Give yourself some time, and don’t stress about this. It might be useful to try to talk to some people in your area who have these careers - you can poke around on LinkedIn, find some people who are local, think of some really good questions and then send a really short message asking for 30 minutes of their time to ask questions about their careers. Most people would like to take 30 minutes out to talk about themselves to a rapt high school student, as long as your questions are intelligent and polite.
Also, there are lots of other ways to make money and ways that you might intersect these careers. Plus there may be some careers you discover in the next couple years that you’ve never heard of, so keep an open mind.
I know this is a really late reply, but thank you! The advice was really helpful. For anyone interested, I am going into computer science and I’m hoping to use it to help create wearable tech - so I’m kind of combining two things I am interested in. Thank you again for the advice!
That sounds really cool! Good luck!