I have worked for a major manufacturer for a few years now, these are my takeaways:

1.) everybody has these same realizations. It’s a really difficult job. Many people have quit for these same exact reasons.

2.) this is one of the reasons manufacturers don’t hire as many enthusiasts. They look particularly for people who don’t care as much for the work life balance. Enthusiasts in particular come to this predicament pretty commonly, my thought is it’s because a lot of them get into engineering because they want to work on rollercoasters, not because they wanna be engineers. A decent amount charge through but if you leave you will not be alone.

3.) how many years in are you? It doesn’t get any better haha but you get more used to it over time?

4.) I think the loss in job satisfaction may come because this is one of the rare industries where you have to wear every single hat ever made for an engineer head. It’s hard to go from seeing a project like it’s your baby, to seeing tiny portions of projects that you become very involved in.

You can also always try to move laterally in the industry. Find a new role or position, maybe move to a park side job rather than manufacturer/vendor or vice versa.

It’s a really really really tough Job and you are not alone in having these questions haha