How can I grow in Actuarial Fields ?

I'm Azim, Actuarial Science student at UiTM Shah Alam, Malaysia. Im expecting to finish my studies in Feb 2028. I know there are a few paths I can opt for such as IFoA and SOA. However, I reckon it is quite expensive to sit for the papers (idk if there are any financial aids or not). My question is, is sitting for professional papers is the only way of climbing my career ladders or i still can excel in the field without collecting the papers. if i still need to collect the papers, can you recommend any good plans on how to collect it (collect it right away or establish myself in the field first)

thank you in advance for the answers! ✨️