If the world and market is ending, where do we put our money to make some money and not lost to inflation?

I'm down $1000 on $5500. Everything is in vgt, vti and schd. Boring safe, I thought so. I've been reading and trying to understand investing stocks for over a year and it's like it's all pointless unless you are inside trading or do some illegal shit to make money.

I was hoping the bottom would be over with this market and I could start buying more schd and try to eventually have some decent dividend income. All I've done for my 20s is work and save and my money I sitting in the bank losing value fast, everything is increasing to insane prices and I hate my job. What am I doing wrong?