Chase my passions or Do things the 'Smart Way'

>>18196398
If you do what you love, OP, it won't be work, you'll just love what you do. It all starts there.

Freelance artist here.

You're gonna need to start out with a day job. It sucks, but that's the truth of it. You need to pay off your loans and you need a steady income. Do what you can to get more money for less time, and then use the free time you have to pursue art as a career.

It is possible to make a career based on art, more than it's ever been, but that still doesn't mean it's easy. Most artists still rely on some sort of alternative income to support their work. If you manage to make it enough to live off of your work, then awesome, and start doing that.

But right now you need to keep your options open. Most art is stuff that can be self taught. Practice, learn, look for single courses taught by the artists themselves that teach techniques you're interested in learning.

School is good at giving you structure, but the last thing you need right now is yet more debt. You will need to do the structure yourself. That is hard for some people, but with work and drive you can make it.

Why do you think you have to go to college for that?

There's a shit ton of resources online for free that you can learn in your free time. I was just like you, did stem but wanted industrial design or gane development. Then I lost my job and started trying things my way. I've learned a lot of stuff for 3ds max and Zbrush just from youtube tutorials, and I mean really good tutorials made by professionals. Graphic design is just the same. And when you look for a job in this area, your portfolio is worth much more than your degrees.

>>18196398
Do what you love.

Getting a stable and boring job is dying while still young.

Authenticity is how you should live.

>>18196405
"if you love what you do, it won't be work, because you can't find a job doing it"

what kind of cliche ass advice is that anyway?