Stuck in a dead-end, thankless job

[u/forgetmenot_666]

I joined a consulting MNC straight out of university because I was scared to take risks, and it was during Covid. Looking back, I wish I had interviewed with more companies instead of accepting the first offer I received.
I hate almost everything about my job. The work gives me no joy, and my degree is completely unrelated to what I do.
I have four years of experience. Three of those years went to waste. I was practically on the bench for most of that time or made minor contributions to projects that don’t really add much value to my CV or help me in the job market.
I finally got the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to two projects, but the lead keeps forgetting to include my name when congratulating the team which is genuinely disheartening.
I’ve started interviewing with other companies, but they see four years of experience on my CV and expect me to know much more than I do.
At this point, I feel like my lead is trying to push me out without actually firing me. But how am I supposed to leave without another job offer? And how am I supposed to get a job offer when I haven’t been given the opportunities to gain the experience employers expect from someone with four years of experience?

To summarise, I’m cooked, both career-wise and mental health-wise.

[u/RapidlyErect]

the bench time is killer, feels like you're just watching your career rot in real time. i'd start framing those three years differently in interviews, focus on what you observed, the processes you learned, the internal tools you poked at while waiting for work. not lying just spinning it as "exposure to enterprise environments" or whatever

and that lead forgetting your name on purpose is such a petty little power move. document that stuff, save the emails where you actually contributed, build a brag sheet for yourself so you've got specifics when recruiters ask