I feel like my future is slipping away and I need some perspective/help

Hello everyone,

I'm a final year engineering student currently going through placements.

To be honest, I believe I have pretty good technical skills, but the current job market feels brutal. A lot of companies visiting my college shortlist students based on CGPA (usually 8.5+), and I have around 8.2 CGPA with zero backlogs. Because of that, I don't even get the chance to attempt many of the online assessments, regardless of my skills.

There was one relatively easy company offering a ₹40k/month internship with a ₹6.5 LPA package for litterally unskilled ppl of my class. I intentionally didn't apply because it had a service bond(2 yrs), and our placement cell said that if I got selected, I wouldn't be allowed to sit for other companies.

Later, a company that regularly offered around ₹35 LPA at my college came for placements. I got the opportunity, but I completely messed it up. Losing that chance hurts a lot, and I keep thinking about it. Now I feel like I should just go for whatever package or stipend I get.

Ever since then, it feels like my future goals are slowly slipping away. I know life changes, and I know setbacks happen, but this phase feels... empty. I don't even know how to describe it. It's like regret, sadness, fear, and uncertainty are all hitting me at once.

On top of that, my mom keeps telling me to get placed soon so we can start clearing our family's debts. I completely understand why she's saying it, but it adds even more pressure because I want to help my family as soon as I can.

But all I'm doing is smiling and trusting God, But mentally it's getting really difficult.

I guess I'm just looking for people who've been through something similar. Did life actually work out for you even if placements didn't? Were your dreams delayed, or did you eventually achieve them anyway? Is life really just about getting a job and then spending the rest of it working until we die, or is there more to it than what I'm feeling right now?

I'm honestly feeling lost and would really appreciate hearing from people who have already gone through this phase.

Thank you for reading.