throwaway2037 parent
My experience is the same as OP.
Except for super stars (literally, nerd famous people), 100% of companies and job offers will just let you walk away. One thing that I tell myself as a normie employee: There are many more people qualified to do my job than there are jobs.
> There are many more people qualified to do my job than there are jobs.
Maybe. But are they in your city or prepared to move there? Are they available now? Have they applied for this job? Would they even want this job?
All of these, and many more, are considerations that you need to take into account before writing yourself off so easily.
As someone who has been involved in hiring, that's definitely not the case. The people I've seen who got hired are those who got through the interview process without any major red flags. There usually isn't any other potential candidate.
If there was, we'd try to hire both of them, because hiring is a long process, and if you find someone who seems good enough you want them on your team. You can always fire them during the trial phase if they turn out to be a bad fit.