Not everyone stays. Not everyone leaves.

VFX careers are not linear and that’s where their beauty lies.

Some people build lifelong careers, working on blockbuster films and groundbreaking TV shows. Others realize their passion lies elsewhere and find new paths. Some even leave and return years later, bringing fresh perspectives and renewed energy.

And you know what? 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝗸𝗮𝘆.

VFX wasn’t my first stop either. Before I became a VFX educator, I wandered through different industries and disciplines for a decade. Those years weren’t wasted, they were my foundation. I absorbed everything I could, filling hard drives with knowledge, references, and ideas.

I could have made excuses. I could have said, "There are no opportunities here. I should just give up." But I didn’t. I packed my bags, moved from Singapore, and landed at Canada’s doorstep, chasing my dream of working on the next Battlestar Galactica or X-Files

But life had other plans.

An opportunity came my way to teach. I took everything I knew, every lesson learned, and poured them out for my students. I taught modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, lighting, shading, FX, compositing—anything they could absorb.

Over time, I taught and supervised more than 3,000 student shots to completion and helped 98 percent land jobs as artists. Collectively, I estimate that they have over 3,600 movie and TV show credits.

But here’s an important truth: not all my students stayed.

Some realized they loved watching movies more than making them. Others discovered passions outside of VFX that set their hearts on fire. And some simply outgrew this industry.

That doesn’t make them failures.

Realizing something isn’t for you isn’t quitting; it’s clarity. And clarity is what separates those who drift from those who discover what they’re truly meant to do.

For years before VFX, I worked odd jobs, once even for a telecom giant that churned out unread corporate newsletters.

Glamorous? No.

But that job gave me something more: freedom.

Freedom to study what I loved.

Freedom to watch movies in the middle of the day while everyone else was working.

Freedom to bury myself in libraries and secondhand bookstores, absorbing everything I could.

And then one day, I decided I have to try.

15 years later, I founded Alpha Chromatica with former students who share the same passion for helping others become artists.

Will I still be here another decade from now? I don’t know. And 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝗸𝗮𝘆.

Because if this journey has taught me anything, it's this: careers are chapters. Some are long, some are short, but each one shapes who you are.

If VFX doesn’t resonate with you, find what does.

You don’t need permission.

Leaving isn’t failure. Moving on is just turning another page