Careers.

On a personal note, here's what I've been contemplating.

I've spent the last year going back and forth between three careers.
1) Counselor
2) Designer/Illustrator
3) Public Health Field

I love all of them, pretty much equally,  for very different reasons.  I've made pro/con lists, sought the advice of others, and spent sleepless nights trying to decide. But I don't feel like I can. How do people make decisions like this?

I have some family pressure pushing me away from certain careers. I have some friends who push towards certain careers. These aren't deciding factors, but it's hard to not let them influence you.

My first choice of being a counselor was always the natural one to me. It's what I've wanted to do since I was a little kid, pulling the "help" section out of my Highlight Magazine. I strayed away from it during the middle of college, because I felt like the counseling side of it was science driven enough, and I didn't feel like I had the grades to go into research. But, post-graduation, I started having a change of heart. I returned to really loving counseling people, despite it lacking in academic challenge. I liked that it challenged my emotionally.

I fell in love with illustration when I was 24. I was inspired by Gemma Correll's "What I wore" Flickr group. But my love kept growing, and pretty soon I found it intertwined with my love for design. It's a career field that challenges me creatively and I love that. It worries me that I feel like financially, it's a huge risk. I am also concerned of not having the creative drive to keep up with my peers.

Lastly, Public Health. It sort of coincides with interest in psychology. I love studying health behaviors and patterns. But, I also like discussing public health issues in general. The school part of it is totally daunting. I also worry that although it is academically challenging, it abandons the creative side of my personality that I've just met and started to develop.

My family will never (initially) support me doing anything artistic, although I know they would come around at some point. That definitely plays a role in my decision making, but more than that, I think it weighs on my confidence. I'm also concerned on how I am going to fund any of these dreams. The economy totally blows right now, and no one wants to hire me. My goal is that whatever I chose, I make myself more marketable than I am right now (Which shouldn't be that hard, ha!) But I want to walk out of it competitive in whatever field I chose.



Edit: 

I felt like it was only fair that I write down my last career contemplation on here. One that I haven't given too much thought to yet. But it's a career in  healthcare. Helping people + Science seems like a good blend. I guess it's another option to put up on the chopping block.