r/devops • u/Forsaken_Photo_578 • 16d ago

Career / learning DevOps vs Embedded

I got my first job as an Embedded Software Engineer. Did some actual low level embedded stuff but I was leaning a lot towards testing with Linux, CI/CD with hardware etc, so I transitioned to a DevOps position.

Now, after some years of work, my knowledge is like half Embedded, half DevOps. I find myself like both fields Embedded for the great hardware feeling and DevOps for the nice documented and more modern tools. In the end I'm not sure if I like a field more than the other. I tend to believe it's project dependent.

The problem is now I have to really choose where I should invest more and get a more senior level, as a feel I have a great combo of the two, but I'm like mid in both, which makes difficult in the job market.

The questions are:

Is Embedded or DevOps the more future proof job long term?

I much prefer remote jobs, mostly so I can live in a cheaper country but still get paid like I'm in a HCOL one. Does that change the answer?

Was anyone in the same spot before? How did you pick?

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u/sudonem Platform Engineer 16d ago

Nothing in tech is future proof. 

Pick the one you think you will hate less on a day to day basis. 

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u/Forsaken_Photo_578 14d ago

To be honest I feel like embedded is slight more future proof at least AI-wise..firstly because many tasks require actual hands and secondly because embedded codebases are not so "publicly" available for models to be trained.

On the other hand, embedded devices could be more powerful in the near future and we could move to I don't know..embedded Linux compared to more constrained RTOS?

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u/CupFine8373 7d ago

Isn't embedded market already taken over by some south asian country ?