If you could go back...?

Hey monkeys – this will be pretty detailed but I really appreciate any advice. I'm about to start a top MSF and will recruit for 2027 FT Analyst (not SA). Just finished an off-cycle IB internship (return offer but decided to re-recruit) and will be off this summer which gives me time to study technicals, interview prep, and network.

Now my question: 
If you were in my shoes today – what would you have done differently and what should I focus on? What are the best groups to join today, in terms of deal flow, learning experience, and will set me in the right direction long-term?

Multiple people in the industry have told me to figure out what I want to do and specialize early, but I am quite agnostic. I understand that the group/coverage I end up joining will steer my career in a certain direction, so I would love to hear about some of your paths. Groups which interest me are Tech/TMT, Industrials, Consumer Retail, NET, FIG/Financial Sponsors, LevFin, and PCA. Out of these, I'm mostly drawn to Tech and PCA. 

What would be a good way to figure out which group I best fit into? I don't want to blindly recruit for random groups at different banks/boutiques – my goal is targeted recruiting to a specific group or industry. I want to figure this out now so I can improve my knowledge as well as focus on networking with people in this specific industry.

At least in my opinion – the world is run by specialists, not generalists, so I want to specialize as early as possible.