> The times I discuss truly software engineering topics (modelling, abstractions, algorithms, etc.) is significantly less than the times I discuss about: k8s shenanigans, Go/Java/etc. intricate details, library incompatibilities, build systems, S3 access rights, etc.

I don't see a distinction, tbh. Coordinating software is part of software engineering even if it's "boring" or "frustrating". If you want to code business logic in a vacuum you'll be left with useless code and nowhere to run it.