I spent three weeks trying to learn Maya and honestly I just feel tired

Why I thought jumping into 3D design was a good idea

I don’t know why I get these sudden urges to change my entire career trajectory on a Tuesday night. I was scrolling through an app, the kind where you look for local hobbies, and somehow I ended up signed up for a 3D modeling workshop. I think it was somewhere in the Dongtan area, though honestly, after the third time I missed my turn trying to find the building, the location blurred together. I had this vague, optimistic notion that I could just pick up Maya and start making cool, abstract renders for my social media. It seemed like a natural step up from simple video editing, which I already struggle with. I told myself that getting some kind of professional handle on 3D programs would make me look more serious, maybe even help if I ever wanted to pivot toward something more technical like those CAD-related jobs people mention.

The reality of staring at the Maya interface for hours

The first day was just pure confusion. I walked into the room, and there were about eight other people, all looking like they had actually slept the night before. I paid around 150,000 KRW for this session, which felt like a lot at the time, but the instructor was quick to point out that if I really wanted to get into the industry, I’d need way more than a one-day thing. He kept talking about how standard animation studios use this program and how the learning curve is basically a vertical wall. I sat there trying to move a simple polygon box, and it took me forty minutes just to figure out the right camera angle. I kept clicking things and my screen would just go blank or zoom in so far that I was staring at a single grey pixel. It’s funny, I read that people spend years getting certified for these things—like those ATC certifications or whatever—and here I was, sweating over a box that looked more like a deformed potato than a geometric shape.

Trying to find a shortcut through local classes

I looked up other programs later that evening. I found some computer academies that promise to turn you into a professional designer in six months, but the tuition fees were eye-watering. One place in Sejong was offering a weekend crash course, but looking at the syllabus, I realized I didn’t even understand the terminology. It’s not just about learning the software; it’s like learning a second language where every button does four different things depending on which menu you’re hovering over. I felt this weird pressure that I needed some sort of certificate to justify the time I was spending. Everyone talks about getting international qualifications like they’re golden tickets, but when you’re just trying to make a basic shape, the prospect of a certification exam feels like climbing Everest in flip-flops.

The lingering frustration of unfinished projects

I still have the software installed on my laptop. Every time I open it, the splash screen pops up and I just stare at it for a few seconds before closing it again. It’s annoying because I know if I just sat down and forced myself to finish one tutorial, I might actually get it. But then I remember how frustrated I felt during that workshop, how the instructor kept moving on to the next step while I was still trying to find the ‘extrude’ button. It’s not that I want to quit entirely, but I also don’t have the energy to dedicate my life to rendering. Maybe I was just looking for a hobby that made me feel productive, but instead, I just found another thing to feel inadequate about. I haven’t deleted the files yet, but they’re just sitting there, taking up space, reminding me of that Saturday I spent in a cramped classroom in Dongtan.

Why I am still undecided about the next step

I keep seeing ads for these ‘guaranteed job’ training programs, usually involving AI data analysis or some other buzzword-heavy field, and they always mention how they support international certification. It makes me wonder if I’m just bad at this specific type of software or if I just hate the process of being a beginner again. My friend says I should just stick to the basics, but the basics in 3D design feel like advanced physics. I still wonder if I should try a different software, something less intimidating, or if I should just accept that maybe I’m not meant to be a 3D designer. It’s a strange feeling, being interested in something but feeling completely blocked by the very tools that are supposed to let you create. For now, I think I’ll just let the software sit there. Maybe next month I’ll open it again. Or maybe not.