The Automotive industry is growing exponentially and has brought up the need for several professionals from varied career domains. The automotive industry is dependent on computer applications and networks for several functionalities. Many of the functions like designing and project coordination are done using computer technology and internet based applications.

A device driver in the industry is responsible for several computer related tasks like handling automotive applications and working on networking platforms like Linux or Windows NT and OSEK related hardware drives. To be able to work on these platforms, one needs to have the related expertise. In any network, problems are likely, and it is a usual belief that network problems are difficult to solve and critical.

The automotive engineers seldom have computer related knowledge, as most of them would just have done a primer course to be eligible for a job in the automotive industry. That is why the industry has no choice but to depend on specialized expertise for such jobs and create a separate job for them in the companies. The pay scales are mid range for this job, but the opportunities are plenty.

Education

Candidates who is looking for a career as a device driver while applying for the job in any automotive company should be a graduate and have a minimum qualification of bachelor of sciences to get started in the industry. Candidate should have extensive computer knowledge in subjects including operating networking environments like Linux, UNIX, and Windows NT and also deal with a lot of computer hardware drivers.

The job roles for these people do not involve dealing with any of the automotive hardware, and most of the job is only with the computer hardware that the automotive industry uses. This is not an industry specific job, and does not require any industry related education. Candidate suited for this job role can find jobs in almost any industry that requires networking professionals or device drivers. This is a cross platform job.   Candidates should have gathered a lot of experience in solving problems, debugging software and troubleshooting networks. 

Education required:

Bachelor of sciences/Graduation
Linux/UNIX/Windows NT
Hardware Troubleshooting Knowledge
OSEK

Skills

Aspirants applying for this job should have an excellent logical capability because 100 percent of the time he will be solving network, hardware, or software related problems. This requires a lot of understanding of the functions of the hardware and also a reasoning capability to understand what is going on with the hardware.

Big teams and important projects will depend on hardware engineer in times of crisis, and any person in the job role should be responsible enough to handle this pressure. In the networking field, the more a person gets exposure, the better it is for them. However, to grow into bigger posts, they should have industry related exposure and education. The growth options are not plenty in this particular field.

However, after several years of expertise, one has an option to become a consultant and set up their own business. The automotive industry might be a good place to start a career for such people, and eventually get into networking companies that supply network equipment, and this is where the real growth for people in this industry is.

Expected Salary

Beginner: $2500-$2800
Mid Level: $3000-$3300
Expert: $4000-$5000