I don’t really get the hate for systemd. At least for someone who started really using Linux after it was introduced, it always seemed easier to control and manage than the init.d stuff.
Obviously it’s a hassle to migrate if you have a ton of legacy services, but it’s pretty nice.
I think it’s okay to not 100% know every little detail of how a system works, as long as it’s possible to find out what you need when you need it.