I don't like systemd mostly because it gives Red Hat too much power over the Linux ecosystem. For example, udev and logind used to be independent components that were eventually merged into systemd, and the onus was put on the community to maintain their independent derivatives (eudev and elogind). systemd's original developer (Lennart Poettering) has been very open about his intention to make life difficult for anyone that doesn't adopt systemd (source and original quote).

To me, systemd is the Google Chrome of Linux - it tries to make life easier and does a good job of that, but it's also explicitly designed in such a way to push out all competitors. So I avoid it at all costs and prefer other distros like Devuan, Void, Alpine, Gentoo and so on. That said, I don't do enough to contribute back to those projects, so I wish I were more helpful about it than I actually am :-(

Regardless, this doesn't mean that you need to do the same thing. If you're new to Linux, use whatever makes you happy and your life easiest! Practically none of the non-systemd distros are particularly easy to set up and use (Devuan may be an exception, but is likely the only one). And besides, a lot of this stuff is very old, and Poettering hasn't even worked at Red Hat for multiple years now.

But do keep in mind that systemd was a very political topic and still poses a threat to the Linux ecosystem - anyone could take over the project and leverage it to make life difficult for anyone that doesn't want to do things the Red Hat way. And since many of the major distros have made it the only option at this point, they'll have no choice but to be dragged along with it. Keep that in mind as you gain more experience with Linux and think about trying alternatives.