Doesn't need to be religious in nature. My secular school had good wood and metal shop. Design classes could include realizing the designs and getting a feel fo

Doesn't need to be religious in nature. My secular school had good wood and metal shop. Design classes could include realizing the designs and getting a feel for what worked, what the impact of decisions on paper meant. Go to MIT, your engineering only comes to life because skilled machinists are on staff. Be that machinist too. Knowing paper knowledge is not enough.