What is it like to become an Automotive Field Application Engineer? What sort of background do you need? This article focuses on one engineer and his decision to study engineering and then to move to Germany to study further before joining onsemi. Syed Zulqarnain Ali Shah was born and studied in Pakistan. He works for onsemi as an Automotive Field Application Engineer.

This is life as an Automotive Field Application Engineer

Background

Why did you decide to study electrical and electronic engineering rather than a different type of engineering?
Back in 2007 when I was about to attend higher secondary school, there was debate in my home country, (Pakistan) about possible mitigation for shortfall and distribution discrepancies in the electrical energy industry. So, I wanted to engage myself in understanding possible alternatives such as renewable energy resources and smart grid technology solutions. I had chosen electrical engineering with a motivation to develop skills for possible technical innovations from my side as an engineer in future. That trend continued during the overall period of my electrical engineering degree at the University of Engineering and Technology Taxila. Then ultimately, I developed a hybrid solar tracking energy solution as my final year project.
Were there any childhood interests which were a factor?
I didn’t have any concrete interests in engineering when I was young. However, sometimes after watching aeroplanes in the sky just like any other child I used to think of becoming pilot. Although this faded away with time.
Are there other engineers in your family who encouraged you?
I was the first engineer in my family. Before, most people in my family either studied History, English Literature or worked in asset management. For example, my father supervises and manages workers in a state-owned dairy farm. However, it was my father who encouraged me to pursue my motivation in electrical engineering although other inputs related to further studies were also available from other family members.

Further engineering studies

Why did you decide to continue your studies and to gain a master’s degree?
Initially I did not have a plan for a master’s degree. I was thinking of working in the electrical energy sector within Pakistan. However, my father had motivated me to explore new international avenues and broaden my research portfolio in the field of electrical engineering. I did my research and found Germany as an attractive destination for a master’s degree in the EU because one can access the best faculties without any tuition charges. Furthermore, The Technical University of Munich offers a very comprehensive programme including versatile topics on electrical engineering such as renewable energy, power electronics, and electric drives design in automotive systems. So that is what decided me to pursue my master’s degree in Germany.

Master’s degree and work placements/internships

During your studies for your master’s degree, you had placements at three different companies. If you think about each placement, what two key skills did you take from each one?

ILF Consulting Engineers

This was my first interaction with the professional and business environment. Luckily, my supervision was in good hands. My manager motivated me to take this opportunity to learn. I learnt sustainability and technical presentation skills during this placement. That is why I completed the project in 5 months instead of the 6 month’s forecasted time.

ET Solutions AG

During this internship I learned about stress management and customer service. I worked with international customers from the UK, Greece, and Turkey. Due to the high workload stress management was needed and I applied the technique: “Learning by Doing.”

IAV GmbH

This was my first experience in the automotive sector but was also challenging because IAV was working jointly with the BMW lab facility on testing new products. I developed a valuable skill in how to quickly adopt and learn new things. I learnt how to effectively engage with experienced professionals and synchronise according to their inputs for achieving common goals in the team. Most of the times we do not need to reinvent the wheel, but we should know where to gather the information and then how to organise our efforts to achieve the required results. While working on a joint project I attended seminars on e-mobility and electric vehicles. It strengthened my interest to pursue my future career in the automotive sector.

How did the placements help you with your theoretical studies?
Practical work gives you confidence and foresightedness to solve challenging problems in your academic studies. I was doing my lab courses during my student job at IAV. It helped me to better understand power electronics design and improved my overall grading. Also, I started to foresee and account for my design decisions during my project work which helped me to make fewer mistakes with better delivery times.

Moving countries to study and work as an Automotive Field Application Engineer

You moved from Pakistan to Germany. How quickly did you learn German?
I started with a two week’s short course back in Pakistan on basic German vocabulary. Then I commenced learning A1 level in my free time at TU Munich. Working at BMW helped me a lot because my colleagues used to speak German not only during breaks but also during work. This polished my language skills so that by the time I finished my degree, I had managed to get over my fear and start speaking German during my job interviews. However, I would still consider myself an intermediate speaker and it is a long learning process.
How do you think that speaking three languages has made you a better communicator as an engineer?
I think it helps because you know how to engage with people and how to understand their perspective. Also, it supports me to better formulate my thoughts with a compelling message. It also helps me to connect with other cultures.

Advice

What advice would you give to a current student who is considering moving to another country to study and work?
Firstly, I would recommend proper homework. That means study the culture and try to learn basic language vocabulary to make the initial transition phase as smooth as possible.
Secondly, always determine your goals with prioritisation and then work step by step to achieve your goals.
Finally, the important thing is realising this fact of life: that hurdles and difficulties are part of your journey of success. The key is to remain consistent in your efforts and not to lose hope. Always keep in contact with your parents and close friends as this helps a lot during testing times.

Automotive Field Application Engineering

Why did you decide that becoming a Field Application Engineer was the right choice for you?
Field Application Engineers are an integral part of providing customised solutions to the customers and driving the sales of the company.
I had a technical background in a customer facing role from my internship and technical knowledge on modern automotive topics such as electric drives and charging solutions. Both points helped me in my decision to pursue my career as a field application engineer. I wanted to translate my technical knowledge towards the growth of my company and this role helped me to achieve this.
I also learn new things and new perspectives because when you deal with customers then you come across new questions and challenges. In particular, my training programme gave me the opportunity to not only learn about products and carry out hands on experience but has also provided strong internal integration which helps during projects. This sets a conducive working environment for me and helps towards my career goals.

Technical and customer facing experience

Do you think that your range of work experience, (in terms of products, software, hardware, and test experience) has given you a good basis to be an FAE?
Yes, I believe a range of work experience is an important factor in today’s technological world. The concept of “a one stop shop” for everything is getting popular in markets where companies need to showcase a variety of features in their products to be successful. Hence, the versatile experience helps to not only provide customised solutions but also to answer challenging queries from our customers. Moreover, it helps me better forecast market orientation and formulate suggestions for my company’s future targets.
Why were you personally attracted to being customer facing as well as technical?
Reshaping the future of automotive industry by electrification is the modern trend. I want to contribute to this idea. From my perspective a customer facing role is not solely for selling your product, but it is also an opportunity to persuade your customer with concrete technical knowledge and support to sustainably adopt this notion. That is how we can drive sustainability in the new automotive market. Hence, a customer-oriented role is more attractive to me.

Onsemi and automotive field application engineering

Why did you decide to join onsemi and their FAE team?
I had two main reasons, the open-minded management and the six to eight month’s long training schedule.

Open-minded management

I found supportive and open-minded management. That is key for me to decide on my workplace. Regarding our FAE team, one can feel like a family where one can discuss not only pure technical details but also have great social engagement. Everyone is there for you in your hour of need. These things helped me to pursue my career with onsemi.

Training schedule

Onsemi is the only company which offers an FAE programme with a proper training schedule which lasts six to eight months. It has supported me and trained me well before facing the customer. Both technical and soft skills are an integral part of the training programme. This opportunity in the semiconductor industry is rare and unique. Hence, this is the reason I decided to join.

Further reading about Automotive and Field Application Engineering

Life of an Automotive Field Applications Engineer Manager
Working as an Embedded Systems FAE in the automotive sector
Automotive Mechatronics Engineer now Brand Manager from Pakistan

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