Hacker News story: Need advice: Back end engineer → infrastructure: how do you make the transition?

Need advice: Back end engineer → infrastructure: how do you make the transition?
I’ve been a backend-heavy engineer for about 4 to 5 years, mostly in startups. For about 3 months I’ve been reading and building small things, but I’m not sure if I’m progressing or just spinning. I also don’t really have people around me in these areas, so I’ve mostly been trying to figure this out on my own, including using tools like GPT and Claude, but I still feel unclear. My work includes APIs, some real-time systems like WebRTC and streaming, and debugging production issues such as latency, buffering, and reliability. I’ve used AWS, Docker, Redis, and similar tools. I’m trying to move toward more systems-oriented work, such as infrastructure, distributed systems, or AI infrastructure like inference pipelines and data flow. The problem is I feel stuck and scattered. I keep jumping between directions such as infrastructure, SRE or platform work, and AI infrastructure, and I don’t have a clear sense of what the actual path looks like from where I am. Some questions: How do people actually move from backend or product work into infrastructure or systems roles? Is it better to pick one direction early, or explore broadly first? How do you pick a theme or direction that actually compounds over time instead of second-guessing constantly? What kinds of projects really signal readiness? And practically, how do you start getting interviews without already having an infrastructure title? Would really appreciate advice from people who’ve made this transition. Thanks 0 comments on Hacker News.
I’ve been a backend-heavy engineer for about 4 to 5 years, mostly in startups. For about 3 months I’ve been reading and building small things, but I’m not sure if I’m progressing or just spinning. I also don’t really have people around me in these areas, so I’ve mostly been trying to figure this out on my own, including using tools like GPT and Claude, but I still feel unclear. My work includes APIs, some real-time systems like WebRTC and streaming, and debugging production issues such as latency, buffering, and reliability. I’ve used AWS, Docker, Redis, and similar tools. I’m trying to move toward more systems-oriented work, such as infrastructure, distributed systems, or AI infrastructure like inference pipelines and data flow. The problem is I feel stuck and scattered. I keep jumping between directions such as infrastructure, SRE or platform work, and AI infrastructure, and I don’t have a clear sense of what the actual path looks like from where I am. Some questions: How do people actually move from backend or product work into infrastructure or systems roles? Is it better to pick one direction early, or explore broadly first? How do you pick a theme or direction that actually compounds over time instead of second-guessing constantly? What kinds of projects really signal readiness? And practically, how do you start getting interviews without already having an infrastructure title? Would really appreciate advice from people who’ve made this transition. Thanks