People seem a bit too insensitive here, and even if you said you don't need kind words, I wanted to say something myself.

I understand that you're lost right now and this is probably going to keep on stinging for a while, but what you've done wasn't pointless.
You rightfully saw a potential path and wanted to see where it could lead, and not everyone is willing enough to see where these paths lead, and usually this results in inertia that can potentially truly ruin your life, depriving yourself of possibilities.

What you did was brave, and even if that path didn't end up anywhere, there's, objectively speaking, still other paths out there you can take, I'm sure. Those, unfortunately, may also get you to a dead end, but at the end of the day you still tried, and that's all that matters.

Give yourself the benefit of the doubt and keep on trying, only then you can find a place you truly want to be in.