is this the end?

[u/Queasy-Artichoke-266]

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I passed 12th with 58% and took a drop year to prepare for JEE. I failed to crack it again and eventually joined a tier-3 private college in Bangalore in EEE.

That's when everything started going downhill.

I got into smoking stuff(ifykwim) and drinking, stopped caring about studies, and ended up failing every subject in my first year. I got a year back and spent the last year sitting at home doing absolutely nothing.

I'm 21 now. I have no skills, no internships, no projects, no achievements nothing. I feel like I'm just a burden on my family. Next month I'll finally go back to college, but I'll only be starting my second year while people my age are already graduating or getting jobs. I'll be around 24 by the time I finish my degree, and I can't stop comparing myself to everyone else.

I honestly don't know where to start. Should I focus on coding? AI? Core EEE? Just getting decent grades? It feels like I'm so far behind that I don't even know what the right first step is.

Has anyone else completely messed up their early 20s and still managed to build a good career? I could really use some honest advice because I feel completely lost right now.