As a Mechanical Engineer with 99.5+ CAT %ile, should I do Tier-1.5 MBA or switch to IT?

I’m a mechanical engineer with ~2 years of work experience in a mechanical company. I scored 99.5+ percentile in CAT but couldn’t convert the top IIMs or XLRI. My best calls are tier-1.5 colleges like MDI and IIFT (I have not converted any calls as of now, the results are expected in a few days).

Lately, I’ve been considering a pivot to IT/software development, as I genuinely enjoyed coding back in college (did a couple of ML projects too). I’m wondering if it makes more sense to pursue an MBA from a non-top-tier B-school, or instead switch to IT, gain experience, and maybe try for a better MBA or MS abroad later.

My long-term goals are brand, career growth, and financial independence — I also want to move out of my current environment.

Would love to hear from folks who:

Transitioned from core/mechanical to IT,

Chose or passed up a tier-2 MBA,

Have insights on long-term ROI of either path.

Thanks in advance!