intive people: Peter Yost, Senior Software Engineer

Name: Peter Yost

Location: Regensburg

Role: Senior Software Engineer in BMW SMARD Team

Expert at: I tend to shy away from calling myself an expert. For me, the word implies a sense of complacency or that you have “mastered” a topic. I don’t want to be complacent, it’s boring. The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.

Favorite app: SMARD Modeller, of course.

Currently watching: My wife playing Fortnite.

Currently reading: Autosar System Specification for ARXML (63 CP R20-11)

Name 3 technologies that are a must have for you as a software developer in the automotive industry?

  • Container Systems like Docker, Kubernetes or one of the Cloud Computing platforms

The more I do this job, the more I realize it’s less about coding and more about understanding how to leverage different systems to work with each other and do the heavy lifting for you.

  • A grasp on database performance.

Trace data for bus systems is already massive with an upward trend. Knowing how to persist and manage that data with optimal read/write performance is critical. That being said, knowing what NOT to do is just as important.

  • Bus Systems

It’s not imperative to get started, and it CAN be daunting, but the more understanding you have for the different systems, the easier things will come together for you.

Which technologies would you want to learn in the near future?

I am currently focused on learning AWS, but in the future I’d like to take a look at some native mobile frameworks like Flutter or React Native and at some point, I’d like to play around with game engines like Unity (but just for fun, nothing serious).

Which soft skills help developers in their daily work?

  • Patience (with yourself) *I absolutely forget this all the time.

Whether it’s domain specific or in the technologies you use, you’re always going to have knowledge gaps. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or admit you don’t know what you’re doing.

Give it time, you’ll notice yourself understanding more and more. Anyway, once you do understand, everything changes.

  • Community

This goes hand-in-hand with my first point. Let’s be honest, none of us would be where we are without stackoverflow.com. It’s critical to maintain an environment where we can freely exchange ideas, ask for help, and respectfully resolve disagreements.

The best example I can give is my current team. It never ceases to amaze me how well we are together. Regardless of seniority, everyone helps each other and no-one hesitates to reach out when they get stuck.

We come to solutions together and the end result speaks for itself.

So be cool to your colleagues and strengthen your community. Go play laser-tag or hang out in a beer garden (or your country’s equivalent).

What character from a book or a movie would you like to go for coffee or beer with?

Beer with Pumuckl

What is the most exciting part of working in automotive projects?

When the things you build work.


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