Help a CS Freshman on Systems Programming?

Learning kernel internals will help you deeply understand the core concepts of systems (e.g., hardware architecture, compiler optimizations, process abstractions, security layers, etc.). Having developed deep understanding of the foundational concepts, you can easily and quickly learn any high-level language (e.g., Python, Rust, etc.) and even see their limitations in terms of performance/security. Low-level systems programming is a niche area, so you can easily find a job or get into consulting business. My two cents.