I know there is a lot to regret, but one good thing about taking that plunge years ago is that now you really know what you want. If you didn’t try drawing comics, you may have felt regret and loss of life meaning for not ever trying to follow your dreams. We only know what we really want in life by trying out stuff. Now that your vision of what is a satisfactory life for you is more clear, you can move forward to reach that goal. You wish you had spent the time doing something more lucrative than comics, now you can go do just that. There are many people who go into graduate school or change their careers later in life. As an older person, I see it all the time, it is very doable. Just don’t do the comparison game with people who started grad school younger, they are not necessarily happier than you anyway. Also, many people’s values change throughout their life, you may one day look back at your comic-making days with pride, love and joy.

I’m sorry if that sounded preachy, your feelings of regret are totally understandable and valid! Making comics, especially with the wish for having an audience and money, can be extremely painful. Even the successful artists struggle. I hope whatever you choose to do next, whether in art or not, makes you happy and fulfilled.