Am I the only one who feels mage like characters are forced to go into enchanting?

As a rouge you can do what you want, as a warrior smithing helps but is not necessary, but if you play a mage even if you only stack up magicka (which will later on lead to you being 1 hit killed by all) you will still run out in just a few spells.

This is the prime grievance that people have with Destruction as a kill skill: without enchantment abuse, it consumes too much magicka. Wheras crafting supplements other kill skills, Destruction needs it to be viable in the first place.

A perfect storm makes Destruction lacking:

Spells get worse and worse in regards to damage/magicka cost ratios as they climb in damage unless you commit enchanting abuse
Magicka regenerates agonizingly slowly, unless you commit enchanting abuse
And the cincher: You cannot deal any sort of damage with Destruction if you have insufficient magicka. With other kill skills, you can still do normal power attacks and get specials like sneak attacks or crit strikes or axe bleed damage or mace/hammer armor bypass, or enchant damage (if that hasn't run dry yet). Destruction... Empty magicka bar? Nada. Zilch. Zip.

Not for my mage, although I stay at level 1.

My spellsword has Enchanting as a major skill, but mostly to apply Fortify Magicka enchantments to all his wearable stuff. That way it isn't that much overpowered, and closes a gap my character has (a pretty pitiful pool of magic).

This is not true, you may have to dedicate your head, chest, and ring to it for awhile, but its false that you have to go into enchanting if you are a mage, though it is wise to do so, you can choose alchemy just as well.

Not exactly, you can always just Find and Buy enchanted items

When I played my pure mage I didn't feel as though I was being forced into Enchanting. That character did no Enchanting at all the whole 54 levels I played her. She probably died fewer times than my warrior or Rogue characters as well.

But, then again, I play on Adept. Maybe it's different on harder difficulties.

I assure you: more or less until lvl 20-25, Master difficulty is a pure Hell.

You'rw a mage. What else are you going to do with your spare time? Blacksmithing, cooking?

as a mage? well, destruction in vanilla skyrim is completely underpowered and the weakest way to do dmg.