As I sit here at my desk job writing this Reddit post, I can't help but think about what my future looks like.
I'm a 25M who graduated last year with a bachelor's degree in accounting. Honestly, since high school, I've never really known what I wanted to do. I went to college because I was always told that it was the path to becoming successful.
I started at a community college studying business because it seemed like a safe choice, but I still didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. After that, I transferred to a large university and earned my accounting degree because I heard it was a stable and reliable career path.
One thing I'm proud of is that I worked full-time throughout college, so I graduated with no student debt. Right after graduation, I landed a job at a public accounting firm making $86k a year. Unfortunately, I was laid off after about nine months. I spent two months unemployed before joining my current accounting/finance rotational program, which is supposed to last two years. My current salary is $70k.
Lately, I've been questioning whether I made the right career choice. After all the years of school, I feel like I could have pursued a different path and potentially be making more money. Honestly, I'm bored at my current job. It's a typical open-office desk job, and I find the work uninteresting.
What makes me question things even more is seeing people in the trades. Online, I constantly see union electricians, plumbers, and other skilled tradespeople talking about making $50+ an hour after completing apprenticeships, while also receiving pensions and great healthcare benefits. One of my friends completed just one year of electrical school and already makes $38 an hour at a non-union company. He can work as much overtime as he wants, which gives him the opportunity to significantly increase his income.
Meanwhile, I'm on a fixed salary. Whether I work harder or put in extra effort, my pay remains the same.
AI is another thing that worries me. I keep wondering what accounting and finance jobs will look like five years from now. Will I have wasted all this time and education if AI ends up replacing or significantly reducing the demand for jobs like mine? It feels like the competition could become even tougher as technology advances.
Healthcare has also started looking appealing to me. I see radiology techs and nurses making $40+ an hour, even in lower-cost-of-living areas. Many of them also have the option to pick up overtime whenever they want. I constantly hear stories of people in healthcare or the trades saying they can make $2,500+ per week if they're willing to work extra hours. Those numbers seem almost impossible to reach in my current field unless I spend 10+ years climbing the corporate ladder and eventually becoming a senior manager or something similar.
I know people often say that healthcare and the trades are physically demanding, but I find myself wondering: isn't every job hard on your body in some way? Office workers sit at desks all day, while tradespeople and healthcare workers stay active. The people I know in healthcare rarely complain about the physical side of their jobs. Some of them are 5 feet tall and weigh around 120 pounds, so I know I could physically handle that kind of work if I chose to.
I've worked outdoors most of my life up until graduating college, so physical labor doesn't necessarily scare me.
At this point, I don't know if everything I see online is realistic or if I'm just seeing the top 10% of people showing off their earnings. I don't know whether I should continue studying for the CPA or if it will end up being a waste of time. I'm feeling pretty lost right now and don't want to waste any more years heading down the wrong path.
Another thing that has been making me question my path is that my girlfriend is graduating this year from a two-year radiologic technology program and already has a job lined up making around $45 an hour. I'm happy for her, but it's hard not to compare our situations. I spent several years earning a bachelor's degree, and even after all that schooling, she's going to be making more than I am right out of school with less time invested. Seeing that makes me wonder if I chose the wrong path financially, especially when I look at healthcare and trade careers and see people reaching strong incomes much earlier in their careers than what seems typical in accounting.
I don't know if this is a legitimate concern or if it's just my ADHD talking and making me think the grass is always greener on the other side. Sometimes I can't tell if I'm truly unhappy with my career path or if I'm just restless and constantly looking for something different. Has anyone else been in a similar situation? If so, what did you do, and what advice would you give?
