Recent college graduate, should I go to grad school, pick up a trade, or do something else?

Advice

22M living with my parents, graduated with an Econ degree in May, besides <10K in student debt no real living expenses besides gas and food. USA.

When I graduated, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I originally wanted to be a lawyer but realized my senior year I wasn't that interested in it, didn't want to do 3 more years of debt/school, and didn't think I had the brains/drive/communication skills to seriously be successful with it. I thought I could maybe do FP&A or something similar as a back up plan, but most of those jobs wanted finance or accounting degrees, which I don't have. I got a barely above minimum wage admin support office job a month after graduating because I was under a lot of social pressure by my parents to get a full time job. I thought I would be able to develop skills in this role, potentially be cross trained into other aspects of the business and potentially get a raise but none of that has happened lmao. I do think I should've applied myself better in this role but at this point I'm ready to move on and a decent portion of my role is being automated anyway.

I got the job in the first place because it could fit my schedule teaching guitar part time, which I wanted to explore as a possible real, and/or my schedule as a part time student. I quit my job as a part time guitar teacher two months into the full time role because I didn't want to "ruin" my favorite hobby by making a career out of it, and realized I couldn't put the amount of effort into the role I would like to while working full time and being a part time student in the fall.

During the fall and spring semesters, I've been knocking out the prerequisites for a Master's in Accounting. I liked the courses I've taken in the subject in undergrad and historically it is a good career to be in. However, with the rise of AI and outsourcing in the field I have become increasingly concerned with whether or not further education in this field is a good idea. I also am a little concerned with the work-life balance in the field. I am ok working longer hours occasionally (50-60 hour weeks), however, some firms ask for more than that and I may or may not have a medical issue I'm getting checked out that I don't want to elaborate on that would make long hours potentially really bad for my health. If I do go back to school to get my Master's in Accounting, I would like to do it now (Summer 2026 through Spring 2027) because graduating in the Spring makes finding internships and jobs easier in my mind. For example, local firms hire interns in the Spring for tax season and give them full time offers after their graduation in May, and being on this timeline, at least as a fall back if I can't get a more "prestigious" internship is important to me if I go with this path.

My other option I've been mulling over is to work at a large manufacturing company in the area that I live in. I could try to get a job in purchasing/supply chain straight up or there is an option to work there in a less physically intensive trade with shorter training periods (ie: painting) and after a six month probation be strongly considered for more appealing roles (supply chain, audit, accounting, finance, etc). Or, pivot to one of the more financially lucrative trades with better opportunities outside of this company if I decide that best fits me. To be clear, I am not one of those or at least not trying to be one of those people who have previously worked in white collar fields pivoting to a trade because of AI thinking its "easy/easier." I understand its physically demanding work. Its something I am willing to do if I can make a decent enough amount of money to move out without fucking myself, especially if its a more temporary arrangement. I know its not as physically demanding as the trades but I previously washed dishes/bussed at a busy local restaurant so I have done work with my hands before.

In general, I'm very concerned with what the best move for my future is. I don't have amazing communication skills so I can't do sales and I am kind of squeamish with blood and other bodily fluids so I can't really do anything in the medical field. I thought about going back to school to be a rad tech because it seems like there is less of the things that make me squeamish but idk. I don't want to go back to school or do training for over 2+ years. I don't want to join the military and they probably don't want me anyways lmao. I'm pretty skinny for my height which I'm mentioning because it matters for physically demanding work.

Any help would be really appreciated. Thank you for taking time out of your evening/day to read this.

TL;DR Masters' in Accounting or Manufacturing trade with possible career advancement into a business field or something else

Posted Apr 10, 2026, 12:52 AM UTC

24
Loading comments…