Embedded Development: Choosing Between Microcontroller + RTOS or Linux?

🍊1. Technical Entry Difficulty: Microcontroller + RTOS is Easier to Get StartedMicrocontroller + RTOS (e.g., STM32 + FreeRTOS)

• Advantages:
• Low Hardware Resource Threshold: You can get started with a development board costing only a few hundred yuan (e.g., STM32F103), with memory requirements in the KB range, suitable for beginners.
• Simplified Development Process: Focuses on hardware interfaces (GPIO, UART, ADC, etc.) and real-time task scheduling, with intuitive code logic, allowing for quick implementation of functions like sensor data collection and motor control.
• Rich Learning Resources: There are numerous beginner tutorials (e.g., Wildfire, ZYBO), open-source projects (e.g., ESP32 IoT cases), and community support, suitable for establishing a foundational understanding of embedded systems.
• Suitable Scenarios: Ideal for recent graduates interested in low-level hardware and wishing to quickly master the entire embedded development process (hardware drivers + task scheduling).

🍇Linux (e.g., Embedded Linux + Qt)

• Challenges:
• High System Complexity: Requires understanding Linux kernel principles (process scheduling, memory management), driver development (character devices, block devices), and file systems (rootfs construction), with entry-level learning needing to tackle specialized books like “Linux Kernel Design and Implementation”.
• Higher Hardware Costs: Requires processors that support MMU (e.g., Cortex-A53 development boards, costing over a thousand yuan), and setting up a cross-compilation environment and debugging toolchain (e.g., GDB, QEMU) can be time-consuming.
• Extensive Knowledge System: Besides C language, you also need to learn Shell scripting, Python (for automated testing), Qt and other graphical frameworks, which demands a higher learning capability.
• Suitable Scenarios: Suitable for recent graduates with a strong interest in operating system principles and system-level programming, willing to invest 3-6 months for in-depth learning.

🍈2. Job Market: Microcontroller Positions are Abundant, Linux Positions Have Higher Salary CapsMicrocontroller + RTOS

• Job Characteristics:
• Wide Demand: There is strong demand in consumer electronics (smart home appliances, wearable devices), industrial control (PLC, sensor nodes), automotive electronics (body control modules), with a high recruitment volume from small and medium enterprises.
• Skill Requirements: Proficiency in at least one MCU (e.g., STM32, Arduino) and one RTOS (FreeRTOS/uCOS), with experience in hardware driver development and multitasking scheduling is sufficient for application.
• Salary Levels: Fresh graduates typically start with a salary of 8-15K/month (in second-tier cities), reaching 12-20K/month in first-tier cities, suitable for graduates seeking stable employment.

Linux

• Job Characteristics:
• More Intense Competition: Positions are concentrated in fields like IoT gateways, automotive systems, and industrial HMIs, with high demand from large enterprises (e.g., Huawei, DJI) or startup tech companies, but with higher skill requirements.
• Core Skills: Must master Linux kernel trimming, driver development (e.g., WiFi/Bluetooth drivers), and system optimization (performance tuning, power control), with experience in Qt/GTK graphical development or Docker container deployment preferred.
• Salary Levels: Fresh graduates typically start with a salary of 12-25K/month (in first-tier cities), but some high-paying positions require experience with development board projects (e.g., Allwinner, Rockchip platform development), raising the employment threshold.

🍌3. Career Development: Microcontroller is Suitable for Deep Hardware Focus, Linux is Suitable for System-Level ArchitectureMicrocontroller + RTOS Direction

• Technical Path:
• Junior: Hardware driver development (GPIO/ADC/DMA) → Intermediate: RTOS kernel optimization (task scheduling, interrupt management) → Senior: Embedded system architecture design (multi-MCU communication, low-power solutions).
• Transition Directions: Can transition to hardware engineer (PCB design, EMC debugging), FPGA development (combining MCU for high-speed data processing), or deepen industry applications (e.g., medical devices, aerospace embedded systems).
• Suitable Audience: Recent graduates who enjoy hardware debugging, pursue real-time control precision, and are willing to accumulate experience in specific industries long-term.

Linux Direction

• Technical Path:
• Junior: Linux system porting (Bootloader/kernel/file system) → Intermediate: Device driver development (USB/PCIe/audio-video interfaces) → Senior: System architecture design (microservice deployment, containerization solutions).
• Transition Directions: Can transition to cloud computing (edge computing node development), AIoT (embedded AI model deployment), or operating system development (participating in open-source kernel contributions), with a higher career ceiling.
• Suitable Audience: Recent graduates interested in operating system principles and software architecture, wishing to enter high-tech fields (e.g., autonomous driving, robotics).

🍍4. Optimal Choice for Recent Graduates: Start with Microcontroller Basics, Then Expand as NeededFor those with lower educational backgrounds and common projects, directly choose MCU; others as needed!Recommended Steps:

1. First Stage (1-3 months): Introduction to Microcontroller + RTOS

• Choose an STM32 development board (e.g., STM32F103), learn to drive peripherals like GPIO, USART, SPI, and master core functions of FreeRTOS such as task creation, message queues, and semaphores.
• Complete practical projects: such as “Temperature and Humidity Sensor + WiFi Uploading Data to the Cloud” and “Bluetooth Remote-Controlled Car”, accumulating hardware debugging and multitasking programming experience.
• Advantages: Quickly build confidence in embedded development, master the application of C language in hardware, facilitating the display of project results during autumn/spring recruitment.

1. Second Stage (3-6 months): Expand Direction Based on Interest

• If inclined towards hardware real-time control: Deepen learning of RTOS kernel source code (e.g., FreeRTOS task scheduling algorithms), study low-power design (STM32’s Stop/Standby modes), and get acquainted with industrial communication protocols (Modbus/CanOpen).
• If inclined towards system-level development: Learn Linux basics (process/thread, file IO), set up a Linux development environment on QEMU simulator, attempt to port U-Boot and the kernel, and develop simple character device drivers (e.g., LED driver).

1. Project Experience Accumulation Strategy:

• Microcontroller Projects: Highlight “real-time” and “hardware interaction”, such as “Drone Attitude Control Based on FreeRTOS” and “Industrial Sensor Data Collection and Edge Computing”.
• Linux Projects: Emphasize “system integration capability”, such as “Smart Home Gateway Based on ARM Cortex-A53 (integrating WiFi, ZigBee drivers + Qt interface)” and “Linux Kernel Trimming and Power Consumption Optimization”.

🍎Future Trends: Future Trends of Microcontroller + RTOS

• Market Growth: Driven by open-source initiatives, support from large tech companies, and the growing demand for low-latency and resource-constrained applications, the RTOS market may grow by 10% annually over the next three years.
• Technological Advancements: RTOS will continue to make progress in usability, security, and scalability while maintaining real-time responsiveness. For example, the Zephyr RTOS, supported by companies like Intel, NXP, and Nordic, is gradually becoming a new mainstream in the industry. RTOS IP stacks designed for embedded systems, like lwIP (lightweight IP), are becoming increasingly robust; encryption libraries like MbedTLS are now comparable to OpenSSL in functionality.
• Heterogeneous Collaboration: In complex embedded systems, such as automotive electronics and industrial robots, microcontroller + RTOS will form a heterogeneous collaboration model with other systems like Linux. For instance, Linux runs as an application processor handling human-machine interfaces and network services for non-real-time tasks, while microcontroller + RTOS acts as a real-time coprocessor managing motor control and sensor data collection tasks, communicating between cores through shared memory, RPMsg, or custom protocols.

Future Trends of Linux

• Enhanced Real-Time Performance: As real-time requirements continue to rise, embedded Linux systems will focus more on enhancing real-time performance, including introducing real-time kernels, optimizing interrupt handling and scheduling mechanisms to meet the needs of more real-time applications. For example, Ubuntu’s PREEMPT_RT patch effectively serves most practical low-latency, low-jitter workloads.
• Improved Security Performance: With the increase in cybersecurity threats, the security of embedded Linux systems will become a focal point. Future embedded Linux systems will integrate more security features, such as hardware encryption, secure boot, and mandatory access control, to protect devices from attacks.
• Integration with Emerging Technologies: With the maturity of artificial intelligence technologies and the popularization of edge computing concepts, embedded Linux systems will increasingly integrate AI algorithms and edge computing capabilities, enabling embedded devices to perform local data processing and analysis, improving response speed and intelligence levels. Additionally, with the widespread application of 5G technology, embedded Linux systems will better support large-scale data transmission and real-time responses, meeting the needs of more complex application scenarios.
• Personalized Customization and Modular Design: As user demands diversify and personalize, embedded Linux systems will increasingly adopt modular designs, allowing developers and manufacturers to customize based on specific application scenarios and hardware platforms, improving development efficiency and better meeting different user needs.

🥦Project List and Job ListLink below:Latest List of Embedded Internship/Recruitment Positions (June 13)