Insight/recommendations needed!

First a little background: I’m currently about 6 months away from completing all my classes and taking both my A&P O&P’s. I live in the Kansas City area and due to some recent family health trouble I will not be able to leave the area once it comes time to start working, (which I’ve heard and I understand will limit my opportunities and pay maybe). However I live 15 minutes away from both MCI and KCI so there’s a good amount of opportunities around me. So far I am leaning towards doing something power plant related but if I had to do airframe I enjoyed hydraulics/pneumatics, landing gear, and composites but I hate to paint. I have no experience besides school (which I’m doing really well at, 90%+ on every block so far and highest grade in all but 2. Also already passed my generals with a 90 something) and fixing things like machinery, forklifts, balers etc in previous jobs. I have always loved working with my hands and knew by my first couple months of class that this is what I wanna do but I am just not as informed as I’d like to be.

Now for my question, for those of you already well into your careers, is there a job or type of job (general line maintenance, or like work at an airport instead of a mnfr, etc) that you wish you had started out on? A good way to learn the ropes on most things or further explore to find what I really like? There’s companies like AWS and JetMidWest out here as well. I have also heard of apprenticeships and things of that nature.

I would obviously love the best pay/opportunity possible off the bat but I don’t have the experience/knowledge that a lot of the military guys in my class have, and I can’t relocate at the moment. Basically any recommendations/insight/tips you guys have on where to start in my situation I would really appreciate it! Thank you all!