28M with Mechanical Engineering + IT + 2+ years of Project Management experience — what career transition makes the most sense?

28M with Mechanical Engineering + IT + 2+ years of Project Management experience — what career transition makes the most sense?

Hi everyone,

I’m **28M from India** and looking for some honest career advice. My career has taken a somewhat unconventional path, and I’m trying to decide what would be the smartest direction for the next 5–10 years.

# My career timeline

[B Tech]**in Mechanical Engineering — 2021**

After graduation, I spent around **4 months in a production/manufacturing environment**, where I was involved in production-line implementation and operational activities.

**Java Programmer — 23 November 2021 to April 2024**

I then joined an IT MNC as a **Java Programmer**.

My responsibilities included:

* Working within a **10–12 member project team**

* Developing and maintaining application components using **Java**

* Understanding requirements and contributing to project deliverables

* Troubleshooting issues and coordinating with team members to resolve them

* Working within structured MNC processes for documentation, testing, quality and delivery

* Participating in **client-facing project activities and visiting the client office**

One of the major projects I worked on involved migrating approximately **26,000 variables to a Third-Party Data Gateway (TPDG)**.

The broader objective was to:

* Establish a single data platform for Business Logic Management

* Promote a common authoring language across BLM

* Improve transparency between development and business/finance stakeholders

* Enable faster approval of business logic

**Project Manager — July 2024 to Present**

Since July 2024, I have been working as a **Project Manager in a small interior design/execution firm**.

Because it is a small organization, my responsibilities have been quite broad and I've handled projects almost end-to-end.

My responsibilities include:

* Managing **36+ interior projects**

* Typical project values of approximately **₹20–40 lakh**

* Project exposure across **10+ residential, 5+ apartment, 5+ commercial and 5+ turnkey projects**

* Managing a **three-storeyed residential house project**

* Coordinating **10–15 vendors and contractors**

* Coordinating teams of around **6–8 members**

* Managing projects from **client requirement gathering and design consultancy through execution and handover**

* Client communication, meetings, requirement gathering, updates and approvals

* Project planning, scheduling and progress tracking

* Coordinating with designers and drafting teams

* Coordinating 3D visualizations, electrical, plumbing, ceiling, flooring, furniture, wall elevations and detailed drawings

* Coordinating **BOQs, quotations and budgeting**

* Procurement activities including material ordering and **quantity verification after delivery**

* Vendor and contractor coordination across civil, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, POP/false ceiling, flooring, painting, furniture and finishing works

* Site visits and monitoring of execution, quality, workmanship and progress

* Resolving site-level issues and coordinating corrective actions

* Tracking project milestones and managing delays

* Managing payment-linked project controls, including putting projects on hold at defined stages when payments were pending and restarting them after payment clearance

* Coordinating project handover, pending works, rectifications and completion

I also completed the **Google Project Management Professional Certificate**, including Agile Project Management.

# My current situation

My current CTC is **₹6 LPA**.

Although I enjoy project management itself—planning, coordination, problem-solving, working with people and getting projects delivered—I don't want to stay in **construction/interior project management long term**.

My concern is the **long-term career growth and earning potential** compared with other industries. The role also has a lot of operational responsibility around site issues, contractor/vendor follow-ups, client escalations, unpredictable schedules and payment-related issues.

I now want to move toward a career with **significantly stronger long-term growth and earning potential**.

I come from a financially comfortable family, so I'm not looking only for the highest immediate salary. My main objective is to build a **high-growth professional career with strong financial upside over the next 10–15 years**.

# The problem

My career currently looks like:

**Mechanical Engineering → Manufacturing → Java/IT → Project Management/Construction**

I'm wondering whether this broad background can actually be an advantage, or whether recruiters will see it as a lack of specialization.

I'm particularly considering:

* **IT Project Management**

* **Technical Project Management**

* **PMO**

* **Program Management**

* **Product / Technology Operations**

* Other corporate project-management roles where my IT + engineering + PM experience could be useful

# The main question

Given that I have **2+ years of IT experience at an MNC, 2+ years of hands-on Project Management experience, a Mechanical Engineering degree, client-facing experience and the Google Project Management certification**, what is the **smartest career transition I can make now for maximum long-term growth?**

Should I leverage my previous IT experience and move into **IT Project Management / Technical PM / PMO**, or continue building PM experience in construction/interiors and later move into larger corporate projects?

I'm particularly interested in knowing:

**Which transition is realistic without effectively starting my career from scratch?**

**Which path has the strongest potential to take me from ₹6 LPA today to ₹15–20+ LPA and eventually ₹25–30+ LPA?**

**What skills, tools or certifications should I build during the next 12–24 months to make that transition?**

And most importantly:

**If you were 28 with this exact background, which path would you choose?**

Would appreciate practical advice, especially from people who have moved from software/engineering into project management, or from construction PM into corporate/IT PM roles.

Thanks!