This is 100% it. Worked in IT 15+ years, started with building desktops, servers, virtual machines, building networks, troubleshooting in-depth kernel issues, tracing TCP/IP chatter, which built a really broad platform for my current job as principal cloud architect. I and peers of my vintage understand how to troubleshoot down to a low level, and we understand the implications, benefits risks and constraints of putting certain cloud technologies together even through the multiple levels of abstraction.

We’ve had the benefit of experiencing these technologies grow and develop first hand, we understand how they fit together and where to look when something isn’t working. Recent graduates have not had the benefit of that journey, are so used to operating at the top layer of the abstraction that works most of the time, that I find they really struggle to decompose a problem, simplify and troubleshoot one logical component step at a time. Problem solving is a learned skill and multiple layers of abstraction make knowing where to start very difficult if the error message isn’t crystal clear.