Facing difficulty where to concentrate first

In three months, I'm graduating, and I need to resolve my dilemma now: can I realistically land a job, or am I living in an illusion that I can do anything without understanding the challenges of the real world?

Here's my current daily schedule:

• Sleep: 8 hours (I tried 6 hours, but after a week, my performance dropped significantly, and I became forgetful.)

• Workout: 1.5 hours

• Meal prep & other daily activities: 2 hours

• Miscellaneous tasks: 1.5 hours

This leaves me with about 3 hours per day for study or self-improvement.

I'm at an intermediate level in Python that's all i know for now. I can write logical solutions, though it often takes a few attempts like run it first then fixto get things right. I also find that I need to go deep into a topic to fully grasp it. For instance, when learning SQL, it's not enough for me to know the query “SELECT * FROM TABLE_NAME”—I need to understand what's happening behind the scenes, like how each record is being retrieved.

I'm at a crossroads regarding my career. With my OPT starting in February 2025, I don't have much time to waste, and I'm trying to decide the best path forward:

• Option 1: Spend the next 6-8 months preparing intensely in DSA (Data Structures and Algorithms) and working on projects.

• Option 2: for now focus on building practical projects, aiming to join a smaller company first. This way, I could gain real-world experience and eventually advance to a better opportunity.

I'm struggling to decide which of these two paths would be better for my future.