There is no direct route into security engineering, a combination of education and experience will help, however developing an aptitude towards hands on work, and being a creator is definitely a huge advantage.
Get a degree, this is a good start, the earlier you get a degree the easier it will be secure a position. Degrees are often a filter used by human resources, but typically do not help with competency as an engineer. If you do not have a degree, it is not a career stopper, experience and demonstrating hands on skills will help you.
Learn technical skills, this can be a variety of skills, not only engineering. For example learn about encryption and how to implement encryption in transit and in rest. Learn about authentication and how to implement multi-factor authentication. One of the most popular areas to recommend is cloud security, gain exposure to the different cloud service providers and how they work, how to build using the cloud. You do not need to be an expert, be familiar so the technology does not become a surprise when you need it.
Learn a programming language, automation is a massive skill as an engineer to have. The language you learn is not so important but more the methodology how to develop. Python and terraform are very useful scripting languages that are used frequently within the industry.
Get certified, learn and complete industry standard certifications these help to test your knowledge and skills and make it easier for employers to recognise the level of skill you have. Certifications are not a substitute for hands on experience, maybe try not to collect too many certifications at the start of your career.
How to get practical experience? If you are already working, go and speak to other teams in your company ask to help, find small tasks to build hands-on experience. If you are not working, try to volunteer or even build your own projects from start to completion. Engineering is about creation and not theory and if you can demonstrate practical experience it is possible to work as an engineer quickly. People are usually drawn to particular disciplines or technology, it’s recommended to develop skills in the areas that interest you the most. If you are interested more in cloud security, develop hands on skills in that area as you will usually be more motivated when working in an area that is interesting personally to you.
If you do personal projects, advertise them online, through social media, these can act as a hands on portfolio that demonstrate the things you have created over time. A portfolio makes demonstrating the skills you have learned much easier to communicate. Finally, learn how to present information to a broad audience, engineering is not only about creating it’s also about how to explain what you have done. Good communication skills do not guarantee success, but it helps to deal with the challenges of working in a team and with the different stakeholders that may not always share your passion or technical knowledge.