This is a question that needs to be answered first, before deciding to study in this area. I wrote an article about this before, but now that I think about it, I think that article was not well written, not easy enough for newbies to understand. So today I will write another post.
Regarding the illegal salary and income, I already have a separate article, in this article we only talk about the job after learning Linux (kernel) embedded.
Basically, our job will be to develop embedded systems using Linux. So what are those systems? The following list will sort popularity from top to bottom
1. Android smat phone devices: This is very popular. But why Android, simply because Android uses the Linux kernel. Every time a new phone is released, the manufacturer has to port Android to that board. The Android porting steps will include writing Linux drivers for the board, writing HALs, libraries for Android. This will require both Android and Linux knowledge. In Vietnam, we have two companies making smart phones: BKAV and Vinsmart. In addition, there are a number of foreign companies that outsource this part to Vietnam, but as far as I know, not many. The reason I think is mainly due to the quality of our engineers not being able to meet.
2. In-car information system, including wifi, display in front of the steering wheel, entertainment system. In Vietnam, this is rare, because cars are simply expensive and the type we often use is a stupid car. But smart car is quite popular abroad and it is as popular as Android phone. This array has FGA out source for many ~1k foreign programmers. In addition, there are a number of other companies, apparently SAMSUNG, HUAWEI adn… Vinfast is added this time around.
3. Household systems in the house, including set-top boxes, smart TVs,… We will use either Linux or Android OS. But either type is a Linux kernel. Foreigners, mostly Korea, will outsource this part to Vietnam. But currently, this array in Vietnam has a smaller number than the two above, because Android embedded in Vietnam is not known by many people.
4. Internet-related devices such as wifi, switches,… This segment is quite large in Vietnam, because wifi devices in Vietnam are self-sufficient. All wifi devices that the network operator installs for you are programmed by our Vietnamese engineers. These devices all use Linux.
5. IoT devices. IoT devices will use either Linux or Android. Basically, IoT companies will buy boards that are already supported with Linux or Android on it. That means there will be basic drivers. They will then develop software systems. However, their work will arise to integrate new hardware devices, thereby arising the need to write drivers or correct driver-related errors. However, the number of Linux kernel programmers for these companies is small. Each company only needs 1-2 people about Linux embedded is enough.
At this point, everyone should have a preliminary understanding of the application after learning what the Linux kernel is. If the demand for Linux + Android embedded is taken, I think it will be quite a lot, but currently few people can do it in Vietnam, this industry is also difficult to learn, so the current supply is still not enough demand. Next time, I will connect with recruiting parties to create a bridge with group members.
At the time of writing this article, I have a feeling that the current job demand related to embedded OS is more than traditional microcontroller programming, because embedded devices using OS seem to be more popular. However, this is just my feeling, to be accurate we need a scientific statistic.
This post is a bit long, thanks for reading.
The Opportunity and career after learning Linux Kernel
