Switching from Technical Support Analyst to Data Engineer

Hi everyone,

Currently working as a Technical Support Analystand planning to transition into a Data Engineer role over the next 1 year.

My current background is mostly around:

- SQL (joins, CTEs, window functions, ranking functions)
- Log analysis and debugging
- Basic C#
- Power BI and data analysis learning
- Production/application support experience

Right now my plan is:

- Move first into a Data Analyst / Power BI Developer type role
- Improve Python, ETL concepts, data modeling, and cloud technologies
Then gradually transition toward Data Engineering

I wanted to ask if anyone here has made a similar switch from support roles into Data Engineering or even Data Analytics :

What helped you the most?
What skills actually mattered during interviews?
And what should I avoid wasting time on?

Most online advice feels either too generic or coming from people already in software development, so hearing from someone who actually made this transition would help a lot.

Would appreciate any guidance, roadmap suggestions, or reality checks from people who’ve done it.