I regularly have to design complex systems and also do correctness proofs for isolated functions.

But I see the error in my ways and humbly realize that I'm just "skilled labor".

Really, if you compare the level of thinking of an average developer to an average academic, the academic often has nothing but his degree.

The level of parroting and complete lack of critical thinking is widespread among academics.

Not strictly related to programming, but in general, most engineers don't use the stuff that they learned in college. If it's maybe 20% of the work, it will go to 20% of the workers, rather than each worker doing it 20% of the time. As a result, engineers quickly differentiate and stratify in the workplace.

You may be one of the 20% in your particular area of interest. If you're doing the kind of work that most engineers tend to avoid, you will never be unemployed. ;-)

I got a degree in EE, but spent a year in CS (don't ask). Some years back I totted up what have used since graduation that I actually learned in class. I didn't get a CS degree because it is too easy -- you just read the book. So I didn't learn any CS there, I had already read the book.

The only thing I have used since graduation, for work, that I actually studied for a class was big-O notation and reasoning.

But! Every week, in every engineering class, they assigned problem sets. Every week I read them through and knew, with certainty, there was no way I could do them. Then, every week I turned them in, completed correctly.

So that was what I really learned in school: that I have no real sense of what I can learn to do, and do. Since then, I have just done things, without worrying about whether I was really capable.

> I regularly have to design complex systems and also do correctness proofs for isolated functions.

So just like any other engineering job?