Being of low education at 'highbrow' social events

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Hey you guys, sorry for the late reply. I truly appreciate all the feedback, I can find a lot of comfort in your words.

Ideally, I would want comments of the flavour "You should aspire to something better" to roll of my back, because yes I'm enjoying my current job very much-- and I find that I can combine my work well with pursuing my interest in my spare time. But I continue to be surprised at how many people seem to respond the way that they do.

As for my body language/tone when I mention my work, I've gone between the two extremes: sometimes, I am a bit humble about it and I say "Well, it's not the most flashy job in the world, but... etc.", or I make self-deprecating jokes about it. On the other extreme, I'll get highly defensive, emphasize that I enjoy it, and possibly add sarcastic comments aimed at the asker. Usually, I'm somewhere in the middle between those two extremes.

Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I've noticed that when I attend events related to my interest in field biology, such as a botanical lecture day the other week, or an organized walk along the heath or forests, there is far less of this 'classism' involved. Virtually everyone I met there simply wants to talks about our shared common interest.

Have you ever thought of keeping your job along with volunteering at a Botanical Garden, Museum or hospital?

A). It would give you something to add to your "What you do for a living" along with talking about expert topics. Particularly, with the gardens.

B). You could not only learn extra skills and expertise but get to know new people who could potentially help you move on to the next phase of your life when you feel ready. Because at some point, you will outgrow your position.

I've never been truly derided for lack of education at such events (as I got a bachelor's in psychology at a good school). However, at work, that's different. Due to a variety of reasons, I never did find a job in psychology after graduation, so I worked a menial grocery retail job, hoping to attain a management position. When I found out that wasn't going to happen, I upgraded my driver's license and started driving trucks.
When attending gatherings of [mostly] educated people, who tended to be electrical and computer engineers, folks think it's one of the coolest jobs out there, and they're enthralled by it. It's quite flattering, actually.
However, when I tell my fellow drivers that I have a college degree, they often ask me what I'm doing driving a truck. My first thought, without fail, every time this is asked, is "What are YOU doing here?" There are more reasons than a crappy job market, but that was the main one, and they drop the issue after that.

This thread is excellent.

I have heard that engineer careers don't require a degree but more hands on skills. The applies to computers.

Depends on the type of engineering.