Yep. We pay a lot. We are a company you've heard of and we're doing well. For our systems engineering roles, we've had a hell of a time finding good people. Plenty of interviews with folks who turn out not to know basic C programming or systems level algorithms.
It seems like systems level programmers are either firmly employed somewhere else or have switch roles to an easier ___domain. I know I've considered going back to Python programming where I can make the same money with a lot less work.
Where "turn out not to know basic C programming or systems level algorithms" is failing some leetcode puzzle they have not touched in the last 20 years while they have been full time writing C and C++? So hell of a time not finding your definition of 'good people' would be kinda expected.
OK, yep I get that. Excuse my cynicism. True, most of us system programmers could describe, in detail, malloc and free from scratch and write a basic malloc from scratch and then know why the basic K&RT whipped up malloc would actually be quite crappy when faced with real world use.
It seems like systems level programmers are either firmly employed somewhere else or have switch roles to an easier ___domain. I know I've considered going back to Python programming where I can make the same money with a lot less work.