"These people are electrical engineers, not you," I thought to myself.
Hey, excavatoree, do I sense some lack of esteem here?
Forget about everyone else and focus on your self, your goals in life.
An engineer is someone that is always looking for a way of changing the status quo towards the better. I strongly believe true engineers are either born, or 'turned into' by themselves very early in life.
Seeing that you posted on this board about your concerns and not just pissing about with your current job just trying to make ends meet, is suggesting to me that you have it in you. It is the engineer in you engineering yourself.
Each engineering disciple has a theme. Electrical, electronic, software, environmental, systems, mechatronics, music bla bla bla
Unfortunately engineering has been associated with electronicl/mechanical/software systems. Engineers are much more than that. You see them on boards of directors, inventing stuff, working with the marketing department on a new campaign for a product, speaking to the goverment about scientific education, changing light bulbs, fixing pipes, finding component Y when there is no component X, building robots, optimising recording studio layouts, designing the new iphone etc etc... An engineer is not to be confused with an electrician, technician, or a mechanic.
My point is, the engineer is yourself. My questions are: Do you enjoy your job? Does your job offer promising career prospects? Do you get along with your teammates? Is your manager an ass? Is your working environment acceptable?
Please, do not think for a moment that designs around the 555 are engineering. They are a
very specific practical expression of a way of thinking and away of life along the lines of 'electronic engineering'.
Take a moment and reassess your goals. For example, why did you go to uni in the first place? Did you like 555 designs? Control systems? Maybe programming? Did someone tell you that engineers earn loads?
Remember that your everyday job will most likely not give you everything you need to stay motivated. If you enjoy designing circuits, you can do it as a hobby, get the published, share them on youtube, sell them!
You have already achieved a university degree that is/will certainly open many doors. But if you dont know what you are aiming for, it is guaranteed that you will miss.
Alex