Ask HN: Moving into System Engineering
I want to ask for advice regarding getting a career in system programming. I have about 7 years of professional working experience. Last 4 years has been in the area of full-stack development (Typescript, MySQL, AWS, etc). Prior to that, I spent 3 years working on Android OS, but more on the frameworks layer (Java, C++, C), while also having some level of exposures on low-level Android code (i.e. HAL) and Linux kernel programming.
I've been really interested to have a career in a low-level system programming, especially in Linux kernel. But there are some obstacles: (1) Other than hacking as a hobby on the side, I don't have a concrete portfolio in system programming that I can show off to get an interview. (2) I'm currently based in South East Asia (Singapore), and it doesn't seem like there's that many system programming positions here?
I'm very tempted to take a few months off, to focus on building a portfolio around system programming. My questions are: (1) what would be a good project to work on or OSS to contribute to land a system programming job? (2) what career prospect is there for Linux kernel development? (3) what are the recommended system programming language with good career prospects? (4) how hard it is to get a remote system programming job? (5) is it a good idea to get an internship position to get my feet wet vs. just building a side project?
I'd really appreciate it if somebody in the industry can enlighten me :)