Photoshop isn't just the best program, it's also the standard program in professional use. Whether you're on MAC or PC, if you enter the graphics field, you'll be expected to be an expert in Photoshop. And, while PSP is a damn fine program I regularly use myself, Photoshop goes so far beyond PSP's capabilities you can't even imagine it. Rather than thinking of Pshop as an expensive program, think of it as one of the few programs on the market that's actually WORTH the money. Keep in mind that if you do go into the graphics field, you'll also be expected to be familiar with several other standard programs such as Illustrator or CorelDraw, Quark Xpress, etc. And yes, even PSP which is used professionally. But PSP and Pshop have different strengths and weaknesses which I find compliment one another. For example, working with layers in PSP is nearly impossible for me, but they're dead easy in Pshop. And untol V6 and 7 in Pshop, working with text was far easier in PSP. PSP also has slightly better brush size control, but brush quality is nowhere as good. PSP has tubes, Pshop didn't get anything like tubes until v7 I think. Pshop also has actions, which I find among the most useful tools in the program. PSP is great, but Photoshop is just so much MORE.

Talent is God's gift to you. Using it is your gift to God.