Getting close to college, been depressed as fuck for the last

Have I understood this correctly?

You enjoy designing and want to pursue it as a career, but are demotivated by the business aspect (i.e. overwhelming competition and shady clients), and so don't see how you can make a living?

>>289034
Pretty much, yeah. It's pretty soon to worry about making a living, but stressed about not making the cut for freelancing if I ever need to do so. Have no idea of approaching it, or good sources.

>>289035
I mean, you're still young and have a couple years before you actually have to worry but yeah, it is definitely something to think about. Making a living off Graphic Design in 2016 is hard.

I get two main impressions from your posts (tell me if you agree)
1. You don't have faith in your ability to become better than the competition.
2. You want the money to come too easily.

Both of these are mindsets that you can work on (with improving over time, with hard work and practice, with studying freelancer business, with Meditation, etc.), and that you HAVE to get rid of if you wanna be successful in GD. Nobody coasts their way into a comfortable living in this field.

>>289036
Nope, not really what I was trying to say. I'm not too concerned about earning cash, but about my knowledge in the industry. My skills are pretty decent for being a pre-college self taught kiddo, but I have no guides on good ways of practicing and improving (legit freelancing sites, interacting with clients/getting personal deals). I do random work sometimes, but as I said in the OP standing out in mainstream freelancing sites is tough as nails. I do this as a hobby before starting to study it as a career, but I would at least make the work I put in count.

OP learn more than JUST GD, programming, webdesign, brand building, a wide variety of programs. Understand that you dont need to be some innovative groundbreaking designer so long as you can create things that work, and fast.

If I were you id expand my knowledge of different programs, and try to look for internships in your school or local shops looking for designers.and not freelance. Put your personality out there and network with stores or maybe people your age in your local art scene, because although its digital people are always looking for someone with experience in Illus.

Im currently working for some shady cuban dude in a shitty warehouse in South FL, but it brings me GD and printmaking experience,which I can carry on to a company higher up the ladder without going to school (which im going back to soon, as I currently use lynda.com for some supplementary stuff).