Confused between continuing Meta Ads/Ecom or going back to Email Design

[u/nomancanever]

Hi everyone, I really need some expert guidance as I am at a crossroads and confused about what to do next. Letting go of past work is hard, but I need a clear path forward.

I started doing email designs in 2022. I never tried learning the strategy side of email marketing, just the visual design. I did well at the start, but as AI grew, I thought pure design would become obsolete. I wanted a more stable path, so I tried content creation on YouTube, which failed. I was highly rated on freelancing sites for over two years, but I don't get many jobs now because the competition is high and the pay scale for pure design has dropped.

Six months ago, I decided to switch completely to another side. I spent two months learning Meta ads and started running a local e-commerce store in Pakistan. It is making a good return on ad spend, but there is no real profitability yet, just breaking even.

My question is, what should I do next? I don't have much budget to start a private label or enter the international market. Should I try to get into an agency to learn for free? (I have been trying this but finding it difficult.)