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/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.