Coding for Vehicles

Coding for Vehicles

By Komal Arshid, Software Developer at General Motors

Hi, my name is Komal. I am a Software Developer at General Motors (GM).

I graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Computer Information Systems (CIS). I had a unique start to my CIS journey. As a pre-med major, I was looking for a backup career where I could work for a couple of years after college before going to med school. I had never really been great with technology so I figured CIS would help me improve those skills and hopefully help me get a well paying job before I went to med school.

My plans changed pretty quickly once I started working in the field. I realized how much I love IT and decided to continue on my coding journey.

In our industry, we use coding for everything from bug fixes, tech upgrades, and new feature development. Most of my time is spent working on a Vehicle Configuration Application for GM using a Java and Angular tech stack. This is an internal application used to build vehicle specs by the marketing, engineering, and pricing departments at GM.

The vehicle specs in this internal application are quite detailed, allowing for the customization of every aspect of a vehicle. From the steering wheel to the engine to seat covers, all of these vehicle specs are added by engineering, marketing teams and later priced by the finance teams. The code I helped write compares all of the information added to a vehicle by marketing and engineering to make sure that the vehicles being marketed are also buildable and in compliance with engineering.

Tips for Young Coders

1. Don’t be afraid to be wrong or ask questions and learn to use Google well!! There is always something new to learn with development so nobody knows everything.
2. Be open to learning and growing and you will do great.

Tools and Programming Languages I Use

Java, Angular, IntelliJ, Oracle, VsCode, and Stack Overflow :)