Need Advice 25 year old and a loser, How to revive my life and career.

I’m 25 and currently in the final semester of my postgraduate degree. Lately, I’ve been feeling very anxious and uncertain about my future, especially when I visit home and see how much hope my parents have for me. They believe I will eventually crack a government exam or reach a stable career and support the family financially. Coming from a middle-class background, that expectation weighs heavily on me.

My career path hasn’t been straightforward. After finishing school, I wanted to pursue my bachelor’s from Delhi University, but my parents sent me to Kota to prepare for NEET. After two years of preparation, I realized medicine wasn’t the path I wanted and decided not to continue with it. Looking back, I feel I lost those two years largely because I wasn’t confident enough at the time to stand up for what I wanted, and I also lacked proper career guidance.

Since then, I’ve spent five more years completing my BSc and MSc. Now, as I approach graduation, I’m likely to get an entry-level job in sales or marketing with a salary of around ₹25,000 per month. When I compare myself to some of my school friends—many of whom are now doctors or graduates from top B-schools—I can’t help but feel like I’m far behind.

Sometimes I keep thinking about “what if” scenarios—what if I had taken a stand earlier, gone to a top DU college like Hansraj for undergrad, and pursued an MBA from a leading B-school. Maybe I would have started earning a couple of years ago and things would look very different today. These thoughts make me feel stuck in regret.

Financially, my family has invested a lot in my education—around ₹20 lakh over the last five years—which adds to the pressure. My academic profile is roughly 7/9/7/7, and I also belong to the SC category. At this point, I’m confused about which direction to take:

• Should I prepare seriously for government exams?
• Should I attempt CAT and try for a good MBA program?
• Or should I accept an entry-level sales/marketing job, start earning, and build my career gradually from there?

Right now, I feel lost and would really appreciate honest advice from people who may have faced similar crossroads or have experience navigating these kinds of decisions.