JohnI’ve been at Ford Motor Company for almost three years now; I was hired in as a connected vehicle data engineer and am now a prognostics technical program manager (TPM). Within that time, I can honestly say that this has been one of the best places I’ve worked at. Though there are many reasons of enjoyment, there are three areas I tend to appreciate most: learning about different cultures, the ever-changing landscape, and the different work opportunities available.
Learning About Different Cultures
If you don’t know, I am a first-generation U.S. born Hmong American. My parents and a few of my siblings are refugees that fled from the Vietnam/Secret War. Though they have assimilated well to the American way, they never forgot about the original Hmong traditions and made sure I knew about it too. Now, I’m not sure if my proclivity to learn about culture is innate or just beat into my brain, but I do love to learn about mine and others as well.
One of the benefits of working in a multinational conglomerate is that you are afforded the opportunity to work with individuals from all over the world; Canada, Germany, China, Brazil, and India to name a few. Because of that, you get the chance (if you try) to take a glimpse into a myriad of unique cultures and lifestyles. You get to hear about the “real” things that go on in other countries; good and bad.
A few good things I’ve learned: I learned about how some families don’t have televisions to aid their children in learning their mother tongue faster. I learned about what luthiers do (people that make string instruments). I learned about all different types of slang in other countries such as “scoops” for adult beverages in the U.K. And maybe one of my favorites, how a family moved to Brazil and changed their last name to avoid association to war.
Don’t know what it is, but something about hearing it personally just hits different than a National Geographic episode.
Ever-Changing Landscape
Like many (if not all) other industry sectors, the automobile space is ever-changing. Though change may seem bad and have a negative connotation associated with it; when viewed through an opportunity lens, it may be the best thing since sliced bread. Having said that, I agree – constant change can generate ambiguity, unknowns, and chaos. However, with the right team and plan, leveraging change can deliver growth, good disruption, and success. And why does this matter to me? Because it means the work is not boring for me.
I personally struggle to work well when I’m doing repetitive or mundane tasks. I will zone out, wonder about random things like why people put an “s” when they say “Meijer”, and don’t get any sense of fulfillment. However, if you throw me in the deep end and tell me to sink or swim on solving a problem, I don’t have a solution for, I am invigorated.
We need to deliver 30 new feature visualizations from scratch in Amplitude – bet!
We need to move everything from Amplitude to GCP – bet!
Oh, and you need to do all of that yourself – bet!
(bet in this context is slang for expressing confidence that I’ll complete the task)
All that to say, change can be good if that’s your jam. And quote honestly, if you want to stay (not be) successful in what you do, it’s kind of a requirement.
Work Opportunities
As stated earlier, I was originally hired at Ford Motor Company as a connected vehicle data engineer. Though it was stimulating work, I felt I could’ve provided more impact for the company. Eventually, there was an opportunity to move into a space where I could deliver more impact as a TPM, and that’s where I am now. Honestly, the stars kind of aligned for me – right place, right time. Having said that, there was (and still is) an absurd number of opportunities that I could have tried to capitalize on.
As the prior topic stated, the landscape at Ford is always changing. That ultimately requires new opportunities in all different areas that you may not have even thought about. For instance, you can do software engineering, vehicle uplifts for the government, performance racing, environmental benefits with electric vehicles, or just good ‘ole project management. The opportunities are endless if you think about it.
Conclusion
Ford and it’s employees are awesome. I get to learn about other people’s cultures, the work keeps you sharp, and you probably can work in an area of interest.
Thanks for reading!