Ask HN: Feeling irrelevant in back end. How to pivot to automotive software? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Feeling irrelevant in back end. How to pivot to automotive software?

3 pointsculopatin3 comments

I have a decade of mixed experience: 10+ years in IT, 2 years on a professional motorsports team (Tony Kart, Ducati, Miata), and 4 years in software (refactoring old .NET to Spring Boot/Angular and some greenfield projects). I self-taught my way into dev and finished a CS degree while working.

I’m currently at a {big_slow_corp} and feeling the AI squeeze trying to switch jobs. My exp is not public facing so the “experience building scalable apps to disrupt the market” requirement I think is my weakness. I’ve also realized my heart isn’t in web frameworks. I’m the guy bored on a plane talking to his gf about flap software, throttle response, and suspension geometry like a kid showing a toy to his mom.

I want to move "closer to the metal", ECUs, controlling machinery, I’d love ML applied to machinery, even infotainments!, but my professional resume is strictly high-level. My tinkering experience includes building MegaSquirts and using ESP32s for signal filtering and logic, data loggers and wiring things you’d find in a race car, but I currently lack a project car to demonstrate new work.

How can I bridge the gap from Java/Angular to automotive software?

Does a decade of IT and 4 in backend experience carry weight in the "Software Defined Vehicle" world, or am I starting at zero?

What "proof of work" can I build to wow recruiters at places like Toyota Research or Tesla (any brand with US presence really) without a physical car to hack on?

I'm ready to pivot to where my passion actually is. Any advice is appreciated.

How can I bridge the gap from Java/Angular to automotive software?

One simple way that might work is start hacking. Because it is a vast vast market with very diverse bespoke problems, there is a huge potential for small "bicycle-size" [1] improvements.

Sure it is not lead software engineer for Ferrari. But because people hire people they know, doing is your best route for meeting people. And when people hire engineers, they also consider their engineering wherewithal. Finally, if hacking automotive solutions does not appeal to you, that may be a sign that current job escape is more motivating than the specific career switch.

[1] bicycle-size problems are problems an engineer can solve working alone from Andrew Ritchie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Ritchie_(Brompton_found...

I worked in automotive software a long time ago.

You’d be essentially starting at zero, but that’s ok. If you break in, you’ll probably need to move to a less glamorous area and accept lower pay. And you’ll always be lower than people with engineering degrees in the corporate prestige hierarchy. If you’re ok with that, go for it!

Check out ROS. No, it’s not what they use, but it’s free and available and absolutely gives you a good idea of the kinds of workflows you will see. When I worked in the industry, all physical hardware was plugged into massive simulation setups and run over and over and over again. Multiple hardware revisions, multiple software revisions. All before they would try putting it into an actual prototype vehicle. ROS lets you do all that - simulations plus interfacing with actual robotic equipment.

Good luck

Thank you for this!

I’d love to eventually break into the simulation business. I have a family friend that does this for Ferrari and BMW actually. They started a long time ago, but now build the systems that stress test parts for them. I’m sure there is an opportunity in the upcoming electric vehicle world. Maybe I’m delusional, but would be super.

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