When I started, I was earning nearly $10 a month working as an electrician.
It was 2006. I didn’t have big dreams — I just wanted to help at home and feel useful. That was enough. But something inside me was always searching.
Eventually, I got introduced to computers. Not by chance — by choice. I wanted to learn. I believed it could open new doors.
So I made time. I studied after/before work. Practiced whenever I could. Not because it was easy — because it was necessary. That decision changed everything.
Small Wins, Bigger Dreams
I got another job, this time earning $50 a month. From where I began, that felt like a win. Small steps felt big back then. But growth shifts your expectations. Once you experience forward motion, “enough” doesn’t feel like enough anymore.
So I kept going.
I learned more. Practiced harder. Eventually, I landed my first real job — $200 a month at a startup where I worked as an email designer. At the time, it felt like so much to me, even though it seems like nothing these days.
But I wasn’t satisfied. Security without progress slowly turns into a trap. I didn’t just want more money — I wanted more meaning. That’s when I started designing more in late nights and freetime, practicing digital illustration whenever I could. That led to my first online gig — one illustration for $100 (it was work for Feedly). That moment gave me something no salary ever did: ownership.
Breaking Away
So I quit. Went full-time into freelancing. Some months I made $1000. Some days I questioned everything. But I was building something that was mine. That mattered more than anything.
Then came the big opportunity — a corporate job(Zomato). From earning three figures to jumping to five figures annually. It was the highest I had ever earned, and I felt proud. But deep down, I felt further and further from myself. A well-paid life that isn’t truly yours will always leave you restless.
Eventually, I left again after working for years there.
Owning the Path
I launched my own (Overlayz) studio. Some months were rough — back to $1000 or less. Other months, I touched more than $25K. The difference? This time, I owned the wins. And the mistakes too. But I could breathe. I could build. I could grow.
If you’re just starting out, unsure, overwhelmed, or broke — I’ve been there. You don’t need the perfect plan. You don’t need a clean roadmap. You just need to move. Even slowly. Even uncertainly. Just keep moving.
Because the life you want won’t arrive overnight. You build it — one honest step at a time.
And maybe my path isn’t typical. Maybe I am a little bit of an anomaly. But I don’t share this as a brag — I share it because I know what it feels like to start with nothing, to be lost, to doubt yourself.
So if you take anything from my story, let it be this:
you don’t have to start with much.
You just have to start.
