Did I screw up by going into Sales and Trading post graduation??

I had a lot of similar sentiments upon making the switch from back office to S&T. I should preface this by saying that I've only just transitioned, and only just found out my exact placement. So take everything I say with a grain of salt.

I think there's still plenty of opportunity to carve out a niche in S&T. It's important to keep in mind that WSO is dominated by people pursuing IB as a career path, or looking to Finance as a stepping stone type career that follows a predetermined, "prestigious" path of IB -> PE -> Top MBA -> PE MF, or some variation of that. The reality is that our careers very rarely play out as we plan for them to, and 98% of people on this site won't follow that "ideal" path. So it's important to keep in mind that not only are you taking advice from people who pursue IB as a means to an end and justify their life choices by benchmarking against S&T (which offers a very different skillset and nurtures a very different mindset), but you're also taking advice from college students (and sometimes high schoolers) who, for the most part, have no idea what they're talking about.

As I made the switch from BO to S&T, I experienced the same anxiety. But as you go out and network with traders / structures / salespeople across S&T, especially at BBs that are benefiting from consolidation in the space, you'll learn there is no shortage of opportunities. My desk placement process had more desks looking for analysts than there were analysts available for placement. JPM (reportedly) just gave a bump in base to analysts in markets. I've talked to several VPs who enjoy what they do, make very good money (especially for someone in their late 20s / early 30s) and have little reason to doubt their job security. And in the event they lose their seat for whatever reason, there's a long line of opportunities awaiting young, ambitious and smart people with experience in S&T, whether it's at a competitor in a similar / aligned seat, in a more traditional sales role, in data analytics, at a startup in the crypto space, at an investment management firm, etc. The list goes on and on.

I think if you're going into S&T hoping to follow that "traditional, elite" career path that again, only 1-2% of people on WSO will actually follow, then you're likely to be disappointed. But if you go into S&T and think creatively and constructively about how to position yourself, you can carve out a good career for yourself. For example, making the switch I thought long and hard about where I'd like to position myself, and I settled on securitized products structuring given the level of analysis such a role requires, the skillset it builds, and the inability to automate such a position. I'd recommend applying a similar mindset to whatever you do, with the mindset of being open to whatever opportunities may arise from there. But again, even in more "vanilla" products that are at the forefront of automation (cash equities for example) there are plenty of opportunities to work on some interesting projects and the role has moreso evolved than been eliminated. And in any case, you're being compensated quite well for someone in your early / mid 20s "figuring it out".

But above all, what's most important is consistent across any industry, role, geography, etc. - work hard, have a good attitude, network and behave responsibly. Do these things, and gravitate towards the things that interest you, and I truly believe that the rest will figure itself out.