Most devs lack actual proof of the ability to deliver when under their own supervision. I would choose a tech that is high in demand. Javascript, Golang, Kubernetes. Use the learning process to develop a project. Deliver it to open source with all the bells and whistles. Know how to pitch the project and speak to its architectural decisions.
Eng managers love this proof of delivery. It will help in getting remote positions as well.
Patrick has done a much better job at this than me and I wholly second this, please read his guide first, then skim mine to see if there is anything useful in it. When I wrote mine Patrick's did not exist yet, if it had then I would have happily skipped writing it.
This is on the Father AND the Media. The father being a professor understands (or should understand) academic integrity. He knew the work was done by another researcher and yet he let all this acclaim rain down on his daughter for her "discovery".
I know how you feel. I would recommend taking advantage of meetup.com. You can connect with people using the knowledge and skills you have acquired as an engineer. The rest should grow from there. Most important is that you don't give up on trying. The burden of loneliness can drive you to give in rather than strive on. You have to win that battle.
user@uweb1:/$ pip install click
Downloading/unpacking click
Could not find any downloads that satisfy the requirement click
No distributions at all found for click
Eng managers love this proof of delivery. It will help in getting remote positions as well.