I took EECS in university. I can work on power systems, electronics, communications, and I'd have a certification from my country's entity that regulates engineering. I can also work on hardware, software and generally programming, but for that side according to people like you I'd just be a dude flinging code around.

But I have all the same training in both scenarios. Why would I be "better" at engineering if I'm looking at fiber cables or an AC generator but not python? I learned the same techniques, the same safety practices, the same thinking models.