Before It's Too Late (Need Advice)

I graduated with a B.Sc. in Nanotechnology in 2022 with an 8/6/8 academic record. When I finished college, I had a dream—to get into an IIM, build a great career, make my parents proud, and finally feel like my life was on the right track. But somewhere along the way, I lost myself.

I fell into the wrong crowd, joined a coaching institute but never attended, and wasted three precious years doing nothing meaningful. I told myself there was always more time, that I could fix things later. But time didn’t wait for me. It slipped away while I spent my days watching movies, drinking, and living in denial.

When I finally gathered the courage to take the CAT, I scored just 66. My resume is empty. I have nothing to show for all these years. My father, an army officer, and my mother, a teacher, have always believed in me. They think I failed only by a small margin each time because, for the past two years, I’ve been lying to them—showing them fake results, making up stories about interviews that never happened. They believe me because they trust me. And that trust is killing me inside.

The truth is, I wasn’t failing by chance. I was failing because I wasn’t even trying. I wasted their love, their expectations, and the sacrifices they made for me.

But now, something inside me is changing. I’ve been sober for the past few weeks, and for the first time in years, I feel the weight of everything I’ve done. I regret every wrong turn, every wasted moment, every lie. I feel lost—like I’ve let go of something important, and I don’t know how to get it back.

I don’t want to be the guy who just fades away, who lets his life slip through his fingers until there’s nothing left. I don’t want to reach a point where giving up feels like the only option. I want to fix this. I need to fix this.

But I don’t know what to do next. Should I give CAT one more shot and chase the dream I abandoned? Or should I take MBA CET, get into any college, and finally start moving forward? I just want to make something of my life before it’s too late. Please, tell me—where do I go from here?