Autonomous cars – A dream career opportunity for the Tech Savvy

• Author Amit Babel
• DateApril 26 2019

Automobile companies are investing serious capital in developing Autonomous driving cars. Leading global OEMs like BMW, Daimler, VW, Tesla, Volvo, Ford to the tech giants like Google and Apple are deeply engaged in building Autonomous car technologies. Few car models with limited hands-off driving features are already in the market. Many Tech Experts are joining this exciting field and the concept of turning on the “Auto” mode in Automobiles is no more confined only to ‘Sci - Fi’ movies but a dream soon to be realized. 

What is Autonomous driving?

Autonomous driving cars are defined in the dictionary as, “Autonomous vehicle, one that can drive itself from a starting point to a predetermined destination in “autopilot” mode using various in-vehicle technologies and sensors, including adaptive cruise control, active steering (steer by wire), anti-lock braking systems (brake by wire), GPS navigation technology, lasers and radar.” These are also known as Self-driving cars or driverless cars.

Jobs in the field of Autonomous driving cars – a job destroyer or creator?

A big concern people express is that Autonomous driving cars would eat up jobs. However, it would still take a decade or two for this technology to be globally adopted and mainstreamed. Jobs would not vanish in a day. Instead, Autonomous cars are generating new jobs for IT professionals. With thousands of job postings globally every day, the number of jobs in this exciting field is increasing exponentially. 

Job opportunities in the field of self - driving cars in Europe – exciting times ahead? 

Europe has always been an Automotive Powerhouse and at the forefront of Automotive Innovations. The big OEMs in Europe are already running huge R&D programs in this field. Majority of these leading OEMs, as well as their Tier1 suppliers, are searching for talented tech experts to work on such autonomous driving development programs. In addition, there are several Technology service providers who are supporting this effort and are recruiting such tech experts. 

Types of jobs available in the field of driverless cars 

Autonomous driving technologies encompass several diverse technical disciplines and thus It's not easy for the companies to find professionals having direct skills in this arena. It's also an evolving field. If you are passionate about Automotive technologies and looking for a fulfilling career in this domain, you could develop the required skills and be part of this exciting phenomenon. Keep a lookout on our next blog on ‘Must have skills for opportunities in the Autonomous car sector’.

Some of the key disciplines and functions that go into developing autonomous car technology are as follows –

• AI/ Machine learning/ Deep Learning
• Radar/LIDAR/ Point Cloud
• Computer Vision
• Sensor Fusion
• Software Development
• AutoSAR
• Big data
• Functional Safety
• Testing

I am passionate about Autonomous Driving cars and would be happy to hear your views or answer your queries regarding the terrific career opportunities in this exciting field. You are welcome to connect at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amit-propellence/