What I found out the hard way....
Don't fail and pivot to something completely different. Fail in one area, try again and build off what you learned from that failure.
For example, if you want to go to an Ivy League school. Apply to Harvard, if you don't get in there...
Don't give up on Ivy League schools and go to a community college. Take what you learned from failing at Harvard and apply to Yale.
That's how you build a skillset and success (it's how I work for myself now).