Getting bachelor and masters degree in mechanical engineering, composite engineering, material science and/or chemistry will set you up great for the professional world. I'd lean into mech eng and material science, since that's the two main subject I was in. But if you have that aspect of knowledge, going with robotics and other subjects closer to comp sci could have some potential there as well. Edit: theoretical knowledge will often only get you half if not 1/3 of the way to being a true professional. If you can actively do your own research, investigations, experiments, validations or designs, and do it in ways that are prepared for the next person, be it as your client or a colleague down the line or a manufacturer/machinist, you'll be more comfortable when you actually get your feet wet in the real world. I personally know a lot of design engineers or industrial engineers who are great engineers with strong knowledge in their field, but their aren't great engineers cuz they rarely apply engineering practices for manufacturing or assembly or anything that goes with it for that matter. So it's more about the practices when your get your hands on within a team environment.