24M Forced to quit my creative job due to AI, feeling lost as to how to go forward...
It sounds ridiculous but please hear me out...
I (24M) have been doing graphic design as a hobby since I was 14-15 starting off in high school. But in the last two years, I've been doing it professionally working with individual clients, and a year ago I was employed full-time to work at a small retail company. Designing branding, posters, flyers, brochures, and even full catalogues.
It was a really good job and I felt very welcome and valued for the work I did. I even worked on a book for the company's CEO. Designing the book's cover, laying out pages and even restoring various photos he had. And it was all around, very rewarding and fulfilling work that to this day, I'm proud to have worked on...
But soon, my boss and the rest of the people I worked with. Without much warning, decided to start using AI across the whole company. And beforelong, despite the moral, ethical and legal risks of using AI in our marketing. Especially when it came to concerns I raised about potentially deceiving/misleading customers. Given that I was one of the youngest people there, my issues were largely ignored, mocked/laughed at, or even dismissed. And soon, it got to a point where pressure began to mount on me to use AI, when I didn't believe it was right.
The company didn't have much of a HR department either, and so with it being a small company and really nobody to reach out to, I felt trapped. It took an immense toll on my physical, emotional and mental health, and the prospect of reaching out to FairWork (I live in Australia) just felt futile. ("Well, it's the company's decision to use AI" kept looping in my head as a likely response to my concerns.)
My family had little-to-no empathy towards my circumstances either, believing I was being irrational, immature and impulsive. With it all becoming too much, I ended up quitting my job for health reasons. I tried multiple times to communicate my concerns to my boss, but it was not up-for-debate. And so, I handed in my resignation letter shortly thereafter.
It's been a few months now since having to quit my job and I feel so isolated. My 20s has had me confront a lot about myself and the people I know in my life. At 20, I learned of my Autism diagnosis that was kept from me since I was a toddler by everyone I knew (friends, family, relatives, even teachers...) And even with learning about it, I've had little-to-no support or even sympathy from family
To this day, my family largely disregard every life decision and choice I make, when I'm just trying to do what's best for myself. Leaving me feeling stupid and/or naive, but also making me start to feel like no matter what decisions I make for myself, I'll never make my family at the very least happy...
Starting gym to look out for my physical health?
"You don't need gym, you're eating just fine." (in spite of years being mocked/shamed by my own family for how skinny I was.)
Getting my wisdom teeth removed and paying for my own surgery?
"It's a waste of money to get them removed, I didn't get mine removed despite doctors telling me I should." (Surgery went far better than expected and I recovered quickly with a vast improvement in my dental health. Working towards braces now.)
Going on my first solo trip to another state after months of saving?
"Don't go on this trip, you could get hurt or killed! Think about how I'll feel if something happens to you."
It's really confusing... I'm at a point now where I'm trying to move forward with my life, discover who I am and explore after years of feeling lost & confused about who I am. Yet my family has treated me like I don't know any better regardless. And without them, I'm a lost cause.
It bothers me so much because I don't like being bitter towards people, especially towards my family. But it's conflicting given that they covered up the very thing I've spent almost my whole life struggling with. Alone and unsupported. And when I learned the truth, The reasons would regularly switch between "We thought you already knew" to "we didn't want you to lose your self-esteem and self-confidence" to "well, we just thought it wasn't a big deal"... Again, it's a confusing situation. Especially now with how to go forward in my life.
I have a close circle of friends, both here in Australia and many living overseas. And while they've been there for me through thick and thin, and I know I'm loved and valued by them as I love and value them too. The distance is hard, even with my friends here that live a few hours away from me...
It all hits particularly hard when creativity means so much to me, especially with what I love and what I want to do with my life going forward. Yet when I see people try to shut that down or take that away. It's gut-wrenching, regardless of whether it's happening to me or to somebody else. And right now, it just all feels like long-term, I may never have the opportunity to achieve what I want to, in order to have a fulfilling life.
Professional help from psychologists has only done so much, my main thing now is finding ways I can go forward given everything. Because what I'm seeking now is ways to find a job, save as much money as I can, and move away to finally start the next chapter in my life. I avoided reaching out to others online for advice for so long, but now it feels like there's not much choice left. So any and all advice would mean so much.
Sorry for the long spiel, but I very much appreciate and thank you for your time and understanding...