I'm a new grad and got a position as system engineer (Linux kernels and drivers) at one of big Ns, but I was told that I would mainly work on debugging instead of feature development. TC is a standard big N package. I like low level system work but that statement really makes me concerned. Does that sound like a red flag, or a good starting point to get familiar into that subsystem? Context: OPT visa. Can't switch job from year 2 to 3 if didn't win a H1B lottery. TC: N/A
Big Ns?
The system is very complex, 80% your time is reading the code. Debugging is the best way for you to understanding the system. When you get used to it, developing new feature is obvious thing to do
It seems that they have a specific team for debugging and triage bugs. I noticed that members in that team look significant more junior than others in my interview...
Some of the most intellectually stimulating work I've had has been debugging complex systems. I learned a lot, and I've seen people look over my shoulder when debugging a problem and commented that I'm the best they've ever seen. It's a really good skill to have. It helps you break down problems really quickly.
The problem is that my current team is looking for a senior debugging guru. These domain experts are difficult to find so no candidate in the past year appears. However, the manager refuses to train existing members on debugging and members are also not motivated to do so because perf doesn't value such contributions. Therefore I'm also afraid of this being the case of my future team.
That’s the best way to learn nothing about distributed systems design.
Not a red flag at all, in fact it's quite nice of them to let you know what their initial expectations are which is typical for new grads. Now if they said debugging is ALL you'll be doing, that's different.
It seems that they have a specific team for debugging and triaging bugs. I noticed that members in that team look significant more junior than others in my interview. I'm concerned about this team actually being a s*** hole for career growth
Thanks for providing some context. Yeah, that sounds pretty sketch 😕.