I agree it’s important to learn why he’s saying engineering, whether it’s real or said to impress the new stepdad. I don;t mean that harshly, but all the dynamics are new here. Part of my inclination- my imo- is, “one step at a time.”
Btw, I couldn’t even affect my own kids’ turnarounds. It takes time. And my own brother is an example of an under-performer in hs, who later went on to work in an engineering environment- not as an engineer, but with all the detail, data, responsibility. But at the hs age, even with tutors, he didn’t grasp the big picture. He had to grow into that.