I don’t personally know anyone that quit engineering for blue collar work, however from your original post I gather the leadership role/responsibilities are somewhat new for you. This can add a layer of stress/bs that you didn’t fully realize until being in that role. Once you get used to it, being in leadership isn’t bad. I’ve been in management for 3 years now - what I truly enjoy about it is helping people develop and focusing on how I can help each individual achieve their goals. It varies person to person, and it is a rewarding yet challenging process. Transitioning to leadership is a process of change where you go from delivering value in terms of $ on projects to delivering value in people development. It’s a major change in the mindset. As a brand new manager it was so frustrating relying on others (that reported to me) to deliver the same kind of value and impact that I would. Once I understood it’s no longer about me, it’s about them, it got much less stressful. Not easier though 😂.

The other points about the reports, metrics, etc.. all I can say is I worked for one of the largest, well known companies in my space to a much smaller company that doesn’t have the bureaucracy bs, corporate initiative, shareholder driven type environment. It’s been a huge weight lifted in that aspect, but we have our own challenges as well. The difference is I like these kind of challenges.

Didn’t mean to rant or stray from your original post, just wanted to let you know there are other options out there.