Thank you very much, Nikola! I really appreciate you sharing your experiences.
And thanks for the YouTube links! I'll spend the time watching them. I enjoy seeing other designers approaches to the creation process.

You words are not 'pathetic' at all, but reflects a great drive to succeed and a recognition of your journey to what you have now.
You are in an intensive self-study period now to become a true 'master'. ;-)
Michael Gibson must surely be inspired! (More than he may know) Some of the magic that makes MoI such an enjoyable program to use is surely reflected on this forum site. It seems to attract those who truly care about their work and harbors an uncommon collaborative spirit. We rarely see some of the 'fires' that happen on other site, but often, people excited to show off what they've learned.

Nikola, I don't currently have a DA or Coroflot account. I plan to someday when I can build up my 3D portfolio.
I keep one on my personal site: k4icy.com, but it is sorely out of date and needs updating.
My personality lends itself to being a little too humble and conservative for the sake of my talent.
However, not to brag, but I do have a real photo somewhere of former US president Bill Clinton holding one of my tee-shirt works before a diplomatic trip to Africa.
(Oh, and Mohammad Ali and Beyoncé Knowles) So I'll be happy to take little pieces of recognition over a single large one.

I'll have to admit that my polygonal modeling skills are non-existent at the moment, or at lease good enough to prepare models for rendering.
'Solid modeling' or NURBS techniques have drawn my full interest. The design of both form and mechanical function really interests me.
I think someday I would like to learn some basic SolidWorks or any other program if it means increasing my chances to gain employment in an ID design field.
When my wife finishes college I may be looking when we have to move.

I cannot begin to imagine what life must have been like for you growing up in Serbia. I do remember often tuning in the shortwave radio service from Belgrade.
Yes, and I did take notice that you share namesake with the great Nikola Tesla! ;-)
Hey! I'm a radio enthusiast too.

It has been said by a wise man, that everyone put on this Earth is given a life of challenge adequate enough to try one's soul - the overriding requirement is to "endure to the end".
Nikola, you seem like a driven individual with a strong sense of purpose and faith in your craft.
I have faith that you'll be able, later in your life, to look back with some contentment.
The good Lord has given you much talent from what I can see, so I think he might have much more in mind for you. :-)

I am not far off from you at my age of 41, we grew up with many of the same sci-fi movies.
In my early teen years, I constructed a Ghostbusters "proton pack" out of salvaged junk and tried to unlock the mysteries of how the flip-over wheels on the BTF Delorean functioned!
My dad was a man of all trades; a librarian, photographer, woodworker, and mostly a television repairman. He couldn't design but assisted in my love for all things radio and electronics.
So I learned to tinker with things at a young age was encouraged to take things apart.
I am "self taught" as well, and wasn't in a position to go to college after high school. But I did take a few high school credits in 'architectural drafting'. (found it too arduous)
The teacher was very knowledgeable at drafting, a strict teacher, and also taught the graphics/printing shop.

I have been very blessed to have worked in the graphics trade for the last 20 years; three tee-shirt screen printing shops and a large-format digital printing shop.
I can say I've had the best teachers to learn from: fellows that were veteran sign-painters (pre-computers) who knew a thing or two about composition and layout.
After high school, I hadn't realized my artistic talents and potential until a co-worker at the electronics factory I worked at gave me his copy of CorelDraw.
And I bought a used government PC (a '286' with 2M of ram and an EGA monitor) and took my first steps in computer graphics, and after a great 'leap of faith' I found myself designing tee-shirts for well-known companies.

But now I get to spend every day drawing in Photoshop, Illustrator and CorelDraw.

It has never paid well (I've got a wife and five kids and no medical insurance) but I still have much hope for my skill increasing with time. I'll never retire from it.
ID is the next natural evolution for my skill and craft. I think my previous experience will simply fold into my new experience.

Thanks again for the links, I'm going to especially enjoy Scott Robertson's tutorials!
Mike