I know a lot of FOH engineer that can design an array hang, dial in delays, do crazy sub array stuff, manage a Dante network, AND make a band sound good.
They are quite comfortable as FOH, systems, monitors RF or even just a patch monkey.

Just because a lot of people that call themselves sound engineers can’t do that, doesn’t mean nobody is a sound engineer.
I get that engineer is a protected term, but the majority of those apply to disciplines that have been around for centuries not 70 decades.

Original sound engineer would make their own kit. So they were probably electrical engineers, applying their knowledge to sound.

Be an audio tech. That’s cool. I’d rather be on a gig with someone I consider a sound engineer tho.

It’s a shih tzu