Your post is an accounting of all the things that you don't have. Sometimes, it is good to think about what you _do_ have. It sounds like you have an M.Eng. de

Your post is an accounting of all the things that you don't have. Sometimes, it is good to think about what you _do_ have. It sounds like you have an M.Eng. degree, an ability to write fairly clearly and perhaps a reasonable awareness of the future possibilities for yourself. You also have a goal: "I would prefer to go back to the US; not only for the dollars (they're nice), but also because I actually was happy there." So, work on it? Build towards it every day. Spend every moment of your life chasing it. YOLO.