[GianFabien]

It appears to me that you are discouraged when you compare yourself to others and that you are seeing through the artificial nature of academic progress. I've been there and I can assure you that in hindsight it will all pass.

Since you are doing well in exams, just push through. It's like climbing Mt Everest but with far less frost-bite.

I am confused as to whether you still have a job and are doing post-grad at the same time. If so, then you are probably suffering from burn-out. Might be good to scale down the job and just concentrate on some outside interests to mitigate the burn-out. Post-grad typically only takes a year or two. So the end is in sight.

As for growing in the field finish the MCS first. Then if you choose academia then pursue some niche that resonates with you. If returning to industry then it might help to choose a field which you find interesting. Once you are solving specific problems then you will follow the areas of CS which are most relevant.