Is taking a service job first the best path for tier-3 CS grads ?

I’m 21 and doing BCA. I graduate in May 2026 and placements are going to start soon. I don’t have a great resume yet, and I don’t feel like I have a lot of skills. I’ve mainly been doing DSA + web dev recently to catch up. I also got curious about generative AI, but I’m mostly still learning the basics.

My college is definitely tier-3, and the companies that come for placements are mostly service-based (TCS, Accenture, Deloitte, etc.). I already filled the forms for TCS and Deloitte, but I’m not even sure if I’ll get shortlisted in them. That’s the first worry.

Second: should I also apply off-campus? I feel like I should, because I don’t want to depend only on whatever comes to college, but I also have no idea if off-campus for freshers is realistic for someone like me (BCA + tier-3 + no internships + average resume).

Third: I don’t know if web dev is the right thing to stick with. Everyone keeps talking about cloud, ML, cybersecurity, etc. I don’t want to randomly switch, but I also don’t want to be stuck in something with no opportunities. I’m not planning to switch right now, just wondering what’s the smartest long-term move.

Fourth: let’s say I somehow get placed in a service company. Is it better to take that job for like 1 years and then switch to a product-based company? Or should I skip the placement offer, spend 6–7 months preparing, and then aim directly for a better company? And how realistic is that for someone from my position?

And last thing: is it better to get an internship, do open source, or prepare for product roles directly? What path actually makes sense from my situation?

Basically I’m trying to figure out the best possible route for me as a 21-year-old BCA student, tier-3 college, graduating in 2026, doing DSA + web dev, and trying not to feel like I started too late.

Would love actual realistic advice, especially from people who were in a similar situation.