As technology advances and modes of transportation evolve, professionals, backpackers, and adventurers are exploring diverse vehicular scenarios. This shift has led to a growing demand for in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems that offer intuitive information, entertainment, navigation, communication, and safety features, thereby amplifying the importance of automotive engineers in this field.

In this edition of "Face-to-Face with ALTEN Engineers," we interviewed a special IVI Product Engineer:

Wen, Shasha: ALTEN | IVI Product Engineer

She used to work as a business translator and spent four years working alone in remote parts of Africa.

Upon returning to her home country, she embraced a fresh career challenge and transitioned into an IVI Product Engineer.

Let"s go even further

After graduating from university with a French major, Shasha ventured to Africa alone twice for a four-year work experience.

"I have been to West Africa and East Africa," Shasha recalled, "and even now, it remains a very interesting experience for me. Those four years away from home made me more mature."

The local culture left a deep impression on her: "Whether they are engineers or chefs, after work, everyone is completely different... You will find their happiness is genuinely simple; they all enjoy life and live in the present."

The turning point and challenges during my career transition

"I think everyone just lacks an opportunity when it comes to career transition," Shasha said. She was delighted to find this opportunity through ALTEN"s platform. Smart cars are an area where ALTEN China has been consistently delving into, with the automotive project team working on innovative and challenging projects across more than thirty cities in the country.

"My job involves software calibration and electronic coding." After three months of trial and error, extensive research, and summarizing, Shasha found the right approach through overcoming mistakes and proved herself capable in her role, eventually independently handling end-to-end project tasks.

Working in an international team experience

In Shasha"s current team, there are French, Spanish, and Indian colleagues, and French and English are their working languages.

"I really enjoy the team atmosphere now. During communication, you can always express your suggestions and opinions, and everyone is friendly and enthusiastic, willing to help you solve problems," Shasha summarized.

Of course, working in an international team also entails facing the challenge of time zone differences. Maintaining the same work rhythm with colleagues from other countries is also a considerable challenge.

→ Friendly advice from Shasha

"Continuously improve your professional skills and do your job well, even if you are not extroverted, it won"t be a problem."