Having issues(woes) with gw2 combat and some content

Hello peeps of gw2, I am a returning player of gw who had just finally finished the personal story on a new toon, after almost ten years of not playing.

I did reach 80 on my old engi toon but I got left behind by my friend that invited me when the game was play to play.

The point is that I really do enjoy a lot about the game and I have a history with it, so I am by no means trying to deface the game or anything.

However the combat is something I can never quite get used it, edging on near dislike. Coming from ffxiv where there is a global cooldown and you can plan your rotation, your skill usage and have the ability to respond to moves and mechanics.

I feel like I have way more control over how I fight any given content in ffxiv. I simply do not feel this way in gw2.

I feel the need to spam 1 and then just press everything on cooldown, but it somehow feels like you're mashing buttons and hoping for the best.

My current job is a regenade revenant.

And because the game has its level synced in every content, I sometimes don't feel like my character is getting stronger.

Somehow every time I am in combat I feel like I am underutilising my kit and stuff like that. Which makes me question how I'll be able to work properly in raids when I get there (I am resolved to play through everything chronologically to janthair).

I cant practice my class mechanics or combat mechanics because when I go into dungeons I feel like I am getting carried every single fight. It just ends so fast. I cant find people to run it slowly either because I don't think people even do dungeons any more.

Can someone point me in the right direction as to how to handle these woes I have with gw2?

I can make a new character from scratch if a new job is what's needed, at this point I plan on having every single class on my account so it's a non-issue.

I really do want to enjoy the entirety of the game and all it has to offer. I take the time to 100% every single map the story quest takes me before I do story content because I want to experience all of it.

Thank you very much in advance and apologies if my post may feel like rambling. But I really want to get my point across emotions and all.