I started at 33 with a free copy of Realsoft3D from a magazine. I was working rotation offshore and saw a 3dmagazine that said "learn 3d modeling".....so i did

I think that was 2003

that started a transition through many programs ...carrara (also free from a magazine), Cinema4d, TurboCAD which also got me stated in project management, later solidworks, autocad, MOI

I've tried just about every DCC software their is, they all state they have amazing things but in the end you can pretty much achieve the same things in all of them so I do not think it matters much

'Find ones that click with you AND that appear to have some sort of future and have not been abandoned and master those, like MOI.

tried z-brush and never really felt comfortable with sculpting approach but I do like poly modeling

Hi,

I think once you have the skills you will then probably need also an own website,
or let's say a page at Behance (Adobe Gallery) to show your works to clients and
do not forget the competition is very tough, because sides like fivver.com let
allow people from all over the world to offer their skills for very very low, which
makes competition even harder, because there are people who uses free Blender,
for example, which you have to compete against. Well, just saying. But do not get
frustrated by that and make your dreams come true!

Regarding at what age I started, it was in my 20's and I started with an Atari ST 520+
with 3D software, which name I forgot. Before that I did 3D looking computer graphics
on my Atari 800XL with a graphics tablet and that was when the Atari 800XL came out.

Regards
Stefan

Amstrad 464 was not so bad too ! :)

But the Atari was the winner with this crazzy prog: SPectrum 512 : drawing with the light!
https://doudoroff.com/atari/spectrum.html

That was magic!

Yes, Pilou,

that was the good old days back then. :-)

Regards
Stefan

I started at about 10 years old making maps for Duke Nukem 3D :)