What steps should I take to become a systems programmer?

For solid resources, check out the wiki on OS development at wiki.osdev.org. It covers a lot of relevant topics and links to various materials.

First off, clarify what you mean by "sys programmer." Are you thinking about software development for operating systems, like Linux? If so, that’s a great starting point!

I highly recommend you start by learning C. It’s essential for understanding system programming. A good book is "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective" which dives into how CPUs, memory, and operating systems work together. It’s a bit of a commitment, but it's foundational. On the side, considering a Discrete Mathematics book can really bolster your understanding of algorithms and data structures.

You definitely want to start with some classical authors such as Wolfgang Mauerer and Kaiwan Billimoria. Also, this link is superb for learning about modern Linux systems: sysprog21.github.io/lkmpg. Make sure to not just read — try developing kernel modules yourself to see how they work!