This kind of exhaustion is rarely discussed with this much clarity. Spending years in a single career funnel, especially one as competitive as government banking exams, is a high-stakes gamble that too often ends in lost time and eroded confidence. The honesty about needing to pivot is not a sign of failure; it is a sign of clear-eyed pragmatism. The real trap was not the exam preparation itself, but the assumption that persistence alone would eventually overcome a system where supply vastly outstrips demand. Recognizing that the loop is broken is the first and hardest step.
For someone with a B.Sc. in Economics and a willingness to start from scratch, the path forward is more accessible than it might feel right now. Excel is an excellent starting point. It is the common language of data in nearly every office, and it does not require a coding background to use effectively. Entry-level roles like data entry, virtual assistance, or junior operations support often require nothing more than solid spreadsheet skills and the ability to follow instructions. These jobs exist in large numbers, and many are work-from-home. The key is to target roles where the primary qualification is reliability, not technical pedigree. A degree in Economics already signals analytical potential; the missing piece is simply demonstrating that it can be applied in a practical context.
Work-from-home is realistic, but it requires a specific kind of discipline. The person is already familiar with the structure of daily study. That same discipline can be redirected into a remote job. The immediate goal should not be a career, but a steady income that buys time and space to build skills. Once that foundation is in place, the writer can explore more specialized training, perhaps in data analysis, financial modeling, or even an online certification in business analytics. Each of those paths builds directly on the economics background and the Excel skills they are developing now.
The recovery from years of exam preparation is not a reset button. It is a redirection. The time spent was not wasted, it taught endurance and the limits of a single strategy. The writer now knows what they do not want, and that knowledge is valuable. The concrete next step is this: finish a basic Excel course this week, then apply for ten remote data or support roles by the end of the next. That is how you break the loop.