Wow, thanks for all the replies!
I guess the smartest decision is always to let schooling/"real life" come first and comics second, with occasional respite. It's motivating to know how far a lot of people have come with their projects despite the business of school/work/family, thanks a lot guys.
@joannekwan Thanks for the compliments! I really enjoy your work and I agree that yeah, improvements can be made a little at a time. It's just been something that I've had a hard time dealing with (as in, the lack of improvement) as that was probably what I was most proud of in my art around two years ago. For example, here is an "improvement meme" (since those were trendy then) of my progress from December 2011-December 2015, and it's quite frustrating to me how little progress I've made since then.
(Excuse the cringy comments, I've lost the actual file and most paintings thanks to hard drive failure last year)
Comparing my stuff from when I was 16 to now, there's not that much of a difference, and it's just been killing me inside for a long time.
I still do agree with you though, and degrees definitely come first. I've been a bit more lax about the financial impacts of my schooling, since I'm being forced to pay for everything myself so I don't have to feel guilt from my parents (at least it'll only be me to regret fucking up!).
Man, drawing is damn frustrating sometimes.
@franzvanderlinde That's really good to hear! Reading your words makes me quite aware that I am looking at things a bit immaturely, and should calm down a bit and ride the tide. I haven't used Trello before, but I've heard a couple of things about it and might give it a go. Thanks for the response!
@solhawthorne Glad to hear from someone with really similar experiences! I guess I'm not too worried about my job prospects aside from one thing--I would like to eventually get a job in the US since it's so much better for career advancement in tech than Canada, but getting there is a bit difficult since I would need sponsorship for a work visa and many companies don't bother going through the hassle for an intern.
Our school is practically built for immediate employment so getting a job is not an issue; it's just that the majority of the good ones here are centralised in a few big cities, all of which I cannot afford to live in and are located far from where I live. I agree that aiming for Google and such are very high bars that aren't necessarily worth considering, but a fair percentage of our school's interns and graduates from my program end up in Silicon Valley for big tech giants. It's gotten to the point where it feels like you carry some sort of stigma if you don't work for Google or Facebook or Apple or some shit for at least one term. It's unhealthy, that's for sure, and I definitely agree that there's no need to waste time thinking too much about it, but it's hard to run away from the stress when people talk "did you hear X got Y job? He doesn't deserve it!" or "did you hear X is only making $Y an hour? Wow, that sucks!" all the damn time. I've heard several of my classmates make fun of people who do "arts" a bunch of times--my roommate even told me that he would never be able to do design because "it provides no mental stimulation" (bitch!). It's incredibly toxic but it's hard to pull myself out of it--I feel like I'm doing everything I can just to "keep up".
Yeah, art isn't supposed to be a competition. I'll keep trying to have that in mind--thanks so much for the advice! Hoping all the best for you as well!
@NaamanBlanco I used to a lot of studies off Loomis a couple years back, I should really get into that. Are you still planning on making that sketch group? I'd definitely be interested in joining! 
@VikiKuli Wow, that sounds really damn busy. Kudos to you man, that takes a lot of time management and perseverance! Those are some great tips and I hope to learn from you. Cheers!
@jjfresh Dang, that sounds really damn rough. Best of luck to you! I'm not American so our schooling is less expensive. It's still North America though, so we'll all be plagued by debt sooner or later!
@Puppisama Thanks for the tips! Wow, that sounds like an annoying commute from home to school, I wouldn't be able to put up with it. Having a clear focus and intent for the day's activities is definitely something I want to put into my life, thank you!
I guess I don't "practise coding"--it's more making projects for the sake of the resume, and then studying algorithms, reviewing data structures for the sake of technical interviews.
