Career transition from IT to FSE

Hi. I'm looking to transition from Data Analytics to Field Service Engineering. I originally went to college for Mechanical Engineering, however, that fell apart and I ended up stuck in Information Communication Technology, or IT. FSE is the closest thing to what I want to do with my career and I've been exploring companies that have apprenticeships as well as looking into organizations that do skilled trades. My dream was basically to figure out how machines work and repair them or maintain them as needed. I've wanted to do something like this for the longest time and I have applied for an apprenticeship through GE as well as a skilled trades academy in my area and a few other companies. What can and should I do to gain the knowledge and experience for the field other than apprenticeships and how can I connect with other FSEs for any insight into the field? Thank you for any input.