I, too, say congratulations on completing your AA degree. No matter how long it took, it is still an accomplishment.
Your plan to take a break from college is a good plan. Work for a while and see what you want to do. I have worked with several good engineers who took somewhat similiar paths and it worked out well for them.
One thing to consider: Some of the community colleges I am familair with are more of a high school type attitude than a 4 year college feel. You don’t focus as much on your studies. A 4 year college program in engineering will be intense. Some people respond to that environment by buckling down and paying attention to their studies. Without knowing you or your situation, it is hard to know how you will respond to the environment of an engineering program.