Backend (distributed systems) vs Low-Level Systems (C++)

Here is my (non-answer) to your question 😅

The way you would answer "Which domain is better for long-term career growth and compensation" is to look at things like:

• Projected # of job openings
• Average compensation for these roles
• Ability to transfer to other domains in the future

In my opinion, these are the wrong questions to ask when deciding a career direction.

Since you're on Taro, you're ambitious, career-oriented, and a fast learner. Your should aim to be in the top 10% of the field, not to be average. Any of the stats you find online will bias toward avg data points, things like:

• "The average software engineer in the US makes $62K/year" -- this is not very motivating, I'd like to make much more money than this
• "There will be 190,000 software job openings in the next 5 years" -- this stat is pretty useless for me

Instead of trying to work backward from whether backend or low-level systems are better, work forward from promising situations.

• Do you have mentorship from a database expert? Work with her and see where your career takes you.
• Do you have an idea for a side project around GPUs? Pursue that and start finding collaborators on GitHub.

The people will the most successful careers benefit from outlier events or people. A company, project, or relationship that becomes transformative for their careers. Focus your energy on putting yourself in that position rather than trying to big-brain which domain will be hotter in 5 years.