Hi, I think its a great idea. I'm a software engineer, so I can't give you any great insights, but what I would suggest is looking at online courses such as this one: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-comput...

That will give you an idea of what kind of skills you will need - I would guess physics, maths and electronics would be good places to start.

This site has some links to job vacancies at the bottom - that would give you some idea of what employers are looking for.

Good luck!