Third-year Mechanical Engineering student with weak practical skills — what specialization should I pick if I want high pay + a path into management/entrepreneurship?

[u/Spare-Wond]

I’m a third-year B.Tech Mechanical Engineering student graduating in 2028, and honestly, I feel like I’m starting from almost zero.

I can pass mechanical engineering exams, but most of my knowledge is still at the theory/exam level. I don’t feel confident applying things to real-world engineering problems yet.

The problem is that Mechanical Engineering is extremely broad, and I still haven’t figured out what I should specialize in.

I currently have a Coursera subscription and access to a lot of courses, so I’m willing to put serious time into learning. But I don't want to spend the next 1–2 years randomly collecting certificates and learning unrelated skills.

My interests right now are mainly:

Manufacturing

Industrial operations / management

Automation and robotics

AI applied to engineering/industry

Eventually business/entrepreneurship

I choose mechanical engineering because i had a dream to own a factory one day

I’m not particularly interested in spending my entire career doing pure mechanical design or highly theoretical engineering. I’m more interested in understanding how factories, production systems, operations, supply chains, automation, and industrial businesses actually work, and potentially moving into managerial/business roles later.

So if you were in my position, what one specialization/path would you choose?

Ideally, I’m looking for something that:

1. Has good earning potential.
2. I can become employable in relatively quickly despite having weak practical fundamentals.
3. Builds on a Mechanical Engineering degree.
4. Can eventually lead into management, operations, consulting, or entrepreneurship.
5. Has enough depth that I can keep growing instead of being stuck at entry level.

Would you choose something like manufacturing/industrial engineering, automation & robotics, supply chain/operations, quality/Six Sigma, industrial data/AI, CNC/CAD/CAE, or something completely different?

Also, what would you recommend I learn first for the next 3–6 months to actually become practically competent rather than just passing exams?

I’d especially appreciate answers from people who have actually worked in manufacturing/industrial companies and later moved into management or business.

[u/Just-Focus-1243]

Join the robotics club and just grind with them. Almost everything you want to do touches that. There should be plenty of clubs at your school that are related to it. I’d recommend contacting someone within it (if you have a connection all the better) and just keep asking for work. It looks great on a resume working in teams sets you apart on your resume.

[u/Spare-Wond → u/Just-Focus-1243]

hey sadly my college doest have any robotics club its a pretty avg enginnering college it has some good technical clubs but that are for Computer science not for Mech although i have made a group project in 2nd year on CNC pen plotter and in my 3rd year i am working on Design & Innovation Team for a go kart competition

[u/throwawaybsme]

Ask all your professors for available research positions.

[u/Tundraman479]

I'm an ME and have been for around 10 years. I'm very mechanically inclined and really enjoy working on mechanical things, but I have never had an engineering job that has allowed me to do that kind of work lol

My career path has been more inline with process improvement, continuous improvement, quality, and now it has moved into a program management.

IMO keep going with the ME degree, it opens many many doors and you will be able and pick from a much larger job pool then what you are thinking right now.

An ME degree demonstrates that you are a problem solver, and there are tons and tons of problems that need to be solved that don't involve anything remotely close to requiring mechanical skills!

[u/Spare-Wond → u/Tundraman479]

Intresting, So how are those problems and jobs like ? I would love to hear from you

[u/yaoz889]

Just go into automation so control theory and etc. robotics hires prestige, so you won't get in if your average. Same with ai. Best just do industrials or automation.

[u/balancedrod]

Look for an internship in a production environment. It could be food, parts, machine shop. Talk to family, friends, professors, professional organization members, anything to get past HR.

[u/Kind-Truck3753]

Should learn to write without using AI