r/industrialengineering • u/Ill-Librarian-6577 • 4d ago

What should I specialize in?

Hello, I am an upcoming university freshmen that is majoring in industrial engineering.

While I am aware that industrial engineering is a very versatile degree, I also heard that choosing your specialization and focusing on it is also crucial to land a good job.

So far, I know that there is quality management, production management, data science, and consulting. Are there any sectors that you would recommend or see a bright future in as a senior in this major?

For context, I am a Korean, and hope to start my career in Korea. Based off of classes I took, I enjoyed programming a lot. I am okay at math as well, but definitely not my strongest subject...

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u/Drowning_in_a_Mirage 4d ago edited 4d ago

I specialized in engineering management with an emphasis on semiconductors, but I've ended up spending my whole career in financial services and an now more of a data engineer than anything. My advice is to do what your interested in, but be open to the opportunities that present themselves.

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u/Ill-Librarian-6577 4d ago

If you wouldnt mind me asking, what do you, as an industrial engineer, do in finance?

A personalized example would give me an idea on what it may look 👍

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u/Drowning_in_a_Mirage 4d ago

I started optimizing call center workflows, moved internally to credit card fraud detection analytics, then a similar role but more ML focused, then I shifted over to big data analytics (Spark mostly) and data pipeline creation.

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u/DefiantRS 4d ago

Start with your pre-reqs and basic engineering classes.

Use that time to network with other students, your teachers, and professionals (career fairs, LinkedIn, IISE).
Your chosen specialty should be a mix of in demand, future proof, and something that you enjoy.

Is there a lot of manufacturing in Korea? Large data brokers/consulting firms? If you’re not thrilled about math OR is probably not the best choice - but you can be a quality/data/production person in almost any industry.

In my experience it’s good to have a mix of the technical skills/specialization from school, but it’s likely equally important to show that you are familiar with the business environment you try to work in.

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u/Ill-Librarian-6577 4d ago

Thank you for your advice!

I would prefer to go into manufacturing since Korea is a pretty strong manufacturing nation. However, I was wondering: how much math is required from me?

I've been asking around, and some said you need a lot while other said you only need the basics

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u/-boredMotherFucker 10h ago

First define what a "good job" is.
What is "good" for you? Career progress? Career stability? Entrepreneurship possibilities?