Becoming a Solutions or Sales Engineer

Hi everyone. I have a background in mechanical and manufacturing engineering. Though, I made the switch to software sales as an SDR a couple of years ago so I could get my foot in the door in the software tech industry. Had relatively solid success on the sales side at 2 companies now, but I made it clear from the beginning with both companies that my goal is to transition into the sales engineering team instead of Account Executive. Each have been on board, but it's just been very difficult to make the transition because 1) I truly hate the SDR position 2) I dont know any other way than to start small since I dont have a computer science degree. For those of you who were able to make a similar transition, what are some tips you have for me? Should I continue the sales route or try something else? #salesengineer