[brunellus]

I was in a nearly identical situation to yours about 10 years ago.

At the end of undergrad finance/economics studies I recognized I needed more technical expertise, so I went to a grad program and learned as much as I could about econometrics. I thought this would eventually position me as a consultant/data scientist.

As I studied, I realized programming was my favorite part of the work.

I used these skills in a few different roles. A couple years later a friend/mentor suggested that I just consider becoming a software engineer.

I never pictured myself in a pure tech role. It worked out better than I would have guessed.

My suggestion is that an engineering role is not as far away as you imagine. You have time to make a career in it, so you should reflect on if you’d enjoy it.