Why is money so important ?

I blame myself that I’m not finding a job like most of my family memebers have said you need to go college and get a degree so you can secure the future financially. Go for engeering or nursing something. But I don’t really know what to do and I’m just stuck.

I was born poor. Grew up poor and still poor despite I have all the opportunities to change the circumstances. But I’m too busy worrying about what others might think of say. And I constantly live in self doubts. I’m already in my late 20s, I feel regret daily like I had so much time in my 20s where I could have gone to college and gotten a degree. And life wouldn’t have felt like a competition as it is now. Because now my friends are the ones who have nice paying jobs and settled down some even are married. And I’m stuck in the same step as I was like 22. Being poor feels so discouraging like you feel this shame being around other people. You can’t get anything you like at the store. You feel overall less confident when you have no money. But money is such a necessity