I want to grow

[u/1Mtobe]

Hi, I’m 26 years old and from Malaysia. I currently earn $818 a month as an associate. I graduated with a degree in 3D Animation and started my career as an animator, but I left the industry because the pay wasn’t sustainable.

Now, I’m feeling lost. I don’t know what I want to be, and I don’t feel a sense of purpose in my job. Building a career from my current role feels so far from reality. I don’t see myself becoming a leader in this industry, and I’m unsure how to discover my purpose.

Sometimes I regret not pursuing a professional course during my studies. I regret a lot of things. Is there a way for me to find out what my purpose is? What kind of career path should I consider? And how can I work toward it while increasing my income?

[u/Desperate-Cat-9720]

No amount of money or regret will ever bring back lost time.

If you’re stuck, reset. Clear your mind. Stop overthinking. Just exist for a bit.

Breathe. Take a break. Then restart.

I know people who’ve had nights where they truly believed their life was over, — and then everything changed (I am one of them).

So yeah, hope matters. Good things can still happen.

Just get through now. You’ll figure out the next step when you're ready.

[u/WhatIs25]

Your studies went in the direction of something you like doing. That did not work out, and it was not well paid. This is the situation for many, many people, including myself, but that does not mean that we are all unhappy. The world does not end here.Surely there are other things you are good at and you like doing, try and see if you can have a job out of them. It would be good to identify your own marketable skills (the capacity to do things in various jobs, skills like attention to detail, research skills, communication skills, ability to learn quickly, to work well in a team etc) research about the highest paying areas at the moment and check the advertised jobs on the market.

[u/Simple_Bodybuilder98]

With your 3D animation background, consider pivoting into high-demand creative tech fields like UI/UX design, motion graphics, video editing, or 3D for gaming/AR/VR. You already have visual storytelling skills, build on them. Learn tools like Figma, After Effects, or Unity, and try freelancing on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr to grow income while you explore what clicks for you. Your purpose may come through action, not waiting.

[u/Adventurous-Try6353]

You want to grow? Good. But growth don’t come to the man who’s waiting for the perfect answer it comes to the man who makes a move.

Look you’re 26. You're not too late. You're not too old. You're just… soft in your direction. That’s fine. Most men are at some point. But if you sit around asking life to hand you your purpose, you’ll be 36, still wondering what went wrong.

You don’t find purpose. You build it. Like a brick wall one brick at a time, even when it’s raining, even when you hate the work.

Let’s talk facts. You left animation because the money sucked fine. Respect. You had the guts to walk. That means you’re not a coward. But now you’re stuck in a job you don’t respect, with no map. So what do you do?

Cut the regret,Regret is a luxury. Leave that to the weak. You want to win? Start where your feet are not where you wish you’d been. Use what you’ve got.

Inventory your strengths,You studied animation that means you have visual thinking, creative software skills, storytelling instincts. That’s gold in today’s market: content creation, UI/UX, video editing, 3D product modeling, motion graphics. Pick one, master it. You don’t need 10 paths. You need one sword you can sharpen.

Forget “passion.” Focus on what gives you leverage. You don’t have to love it at first. You need something that can pay. Make money, then you’ll have the breathing room to refine your path.

Stack skills, not just jobs, study marketing, sales, and communication. Learn to negotiate. Learn to present your value. Too many creative people stay broke because they never learn business. You want freedom? Learn how money moves.

Start a freelance hustle on the side,Fiverr, Upwork, Behance, local gigs whatever. Build a small reputation. Make a few hundred extra a month. When you start solving problems for people, you stop feeling useless.

Train like a man with a future, Read daily. Exercise like your life depends on it. Wake up earlier than your doubts. No one will save you but that’s the power: you don’t need saving. You need discipline.

You’re not lost you’re untrained, Start sharpening the blade. And if you fall? You stand up again. You move forward. No tears. Just forward. In this life, all that matters is who’s willing to bleed for what they believe in.

[u/Captwizzbang]

Hey man- I read what you wrote. I get it. Chose liberal arts. Found. A niche I was good at. Helping people- turned a handyman business into a construction company. It was hard and very much self taught (ton of mistakes) but didn’t give up. Your college degree isn’t your career it’s proving you can do what others can’t and put up with it all. Find your thing. Choose something and fail, then do it again and again. It’s cliche but true