All riled up - I wanna get in IB so bad - Advice brothers?

I'm 23 years old from the Philippines in the Asia Pacific, graduated at 20 since our HS curriculum is shorter here. I regret lounging and bumming around in college and though I graduated from a target school on a scholarship, my GPA is not stellar - 2.9.

I worked as a Management Trainee for 10 months in a Finance company and was assigned to the FX Trading desk in Int'l Treasury. I didn't have my shit together that time nor did I have my head in the game so I spectacularly burned out and resigned a few months after. Good thing i'm in good terms with my boss there the Senior VP and he's even helping me find a job right now.

But I'm dead set on IB or at least PE. I'm currently studying Financial Modeling. I know a few people in IB and even my aunt was a former investment banker. But I don't wanna approach them until I'm prepared with the basic skills such as modeling, making pitch books, and communication skills.

I'm still asking myself which ones here in WSO are applicable to the Philippine IB context since these mostly target U.S. IB's. I've been told by my former boss and mentor the SVP that you have to get your "target" career by 25 otherwise it's much harder to break in, so I got less than 2 years left.

Back in college I got an interview with a boutique IB here, they posted in our FB group for an opening, sent a CV and cover letter and got the interview. But it was all coincidence, I wasn't set on IB then so I didn't bother to follow up or anything and just took a non-finance internship that was offered me.

Looking at my college batchmates who are now in BB and Boutique IB firms here, I can't help but get stressed and rush myself through financial modeling skills, networking, cold-calling and all. I'd like to know if I'm doing this thing right and if I'm in the right direction.

As brothers who has been through what I'm still pursuing, what would you advise?