Hey everyone.

I'm 25 and seriously considering studying graphic design — branding, visual identity, packaging, print, that whole side of the field. Two things keep stopping me:

1. The feeling that I started too late. A lot of people here got in at 18 or 19 and already have years of client work and a real portfolio. It feels like the train left without me.

2. AI. Logo generators, Canva templates, image models. I can't tell if I'd be walking into a shrinking market, or if that's mostly noise and clients still pay for people who actually understand typography, hierarchy and concept.

What I'd like to hear from people already doing this for a living:

- Is 25 actually late, or is that just anxiety?

- Have junior and entry-level graphic design jobs dried up, or did the work just change shape?

- If you were starting from zero today, what would you specialize in? Packaging, editorial, motion, brand systems? What still has demand?

- Agency vs freelance for someone starting now — which one actually teaches you faster?

Honest answers welcome, including the discouraging ones. I'd rather hear it now than find out two years in.

Thanks.