Breaking Into The Self-Driving Industry
Tanya Sumang, Starsky Manufacturing Engineer: I never just did my job. I have always wanted to be the best at what I do.
How can one get involved in the AV industry? We hear this question all the time. Autonomous driving is a new field, and the opportunity to be a part of that technological revolution is very promising. But, there is no clear path to make a career in that industry. Today, we want to share with you the inspiring story by Tanya Sumang, Starsky Manufacturing Engineer, about her career path, constant learning, challenges along the road, and how she became part of the Starsky Robotics family.
I never thought I’d get this far in such a technical skill. I just fell into engineering. I didn’t go to school for it and I didn’t go to an Ivy League college. Instead, I went to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. I even rejected a partial scholarship to Stanford, and a full ride to San Diego for springboard diving. I didn’t find the choice of studies to be what I wanted. I wanted to learn more hands-on and less sitting behind a desk studying theories of what might work, and actually make the things that did work.
I wasn’t a bad student. I graduated with a 4.0 from high school and took AP courses. Many people think that others go to the academy because they did poorly in school, but this wasn’t the case for me and many others who have attended the courses. I decided to go there because it allowed me to learn more skills and be more hands on in difficult metal fabrication processes. I took not only metal fabrication classes, but also classes for the construction and installation of public works sculptures. This required a good amount of math ability and many other skills, including knowledge of building codes and regulations.
I got hired by Tesla immediately after I graduated, while taking classes at Chabot College on welding for automotive and construction purposes. Looking back, I can’t believe I was hired there. At that time, I was going through some personal challenges and literally cried through the interview. So, I was surprised when they called me back in a few hours after the interview and made an offer. Welders are very hard to source and are becoming rarer as years pass, so both luck and the demand for skilled labor were key to being hired. I took the job of course. It was hard, 18-hour days, seven days a week, but it was the best first job I could have ever had.
It’s great when you can develop many skills fast. At Tesla, I got my 6G welding certification and pretty soon I was giving welding tests to others. When I got to be Team Lead, I was offered classes on a robotics program on the Kuka robots. I took them in addition to my regular shifts and here I learned how to fix robots, read code, and change code, as well as planning new paths for robots.
I was ready for my next challenge and decided to move to a small mom & pop manufacturer, where I set up their entire welding area. I trained on the more heavy-duty manual machinery including the NC punch, brake press, planner, waterjet, manual mill, lathe, and CNC. It was never super busy, so I was able to pick up many skills. I worked with my team well, which helped me when I wanted to train on a new machine. Being personable and always up for relieving a coworker when they needed to take time off meant I got trained more than others who just did their job.
I never just did my job. I always took it further and kept looking for things to learn when I had any downtime. I’ve always wanted to be the best at what I do, and I value being efficient with my time.
I moved to Google just by chance. I actually replied to an unlabeled job posting and only found out it was Google during the second interview. I was hired to their self-driving team after watching YouTube videos and practicing soldering right up until the skills interview, along with memorizing any terms they might ask me. I worked on Google’s Waymo team and was quickly able to get to the Manufacturing Team Lead position through hard work and adapting. I continued studying and learned more coding. I’m proud that we had the highest yields of any area with the lowest fallout rates for built units .
I was never afraid of changes. Although it was a hard decision, I quit Google and moved to another company that was in its rapid growth and fast pace back then. I became part of the supply chain as well as starting to do more designing for the vehicles. I set up the clean room and controlled logistics on building remodels. I went and handled vendor relations and cut our costs down greatly. I wrote out standards of operations and got things to a manufacturable level. I helped manufacture and design many parts and learned SolidWorks as I went along.
I joined Starsky right after they got out of stealth. I had the option of a few other companies, but I chose Starsky because I really believed in the idea behind it. And of course, its people. When you meet them, you know for sure they love their jobs and what they’re doing here.
I love startups because you can learn so much. And, to me, that is what keeps the job interesting and fulfilling. Starsky has given me the chance to develop my skills in SolidWorks even more, and the team has been amazing at giving me help when I need it. I have gone from basic designs to complex 100+ piece assemblies; leaps and bounds from where I thought I might end up just seven years ago. At Starsky, I finally found my place. The place where I continue to grow professionally, where I enjoy my job and love the people I work with. It has made my quality of life so much better. And, I know we have so much more ahead.
If you want to get involved in the AV industry, I’d recommend studying a skill that is not common among your peers. This will help set yourself apart from others when applying for jobs. Imagine looking at 50–100 resumes all for the same job, you’ll remember someone with a rare skill and interview them first.
Always be willing to learn, even before an interview. There is nothing wrong with studying for an interview, and it always helps. Be confident in your skills, but own your weaknesses when being interviewed. Temp agencies were integral for my success, so don’t count them out while looking for a position. Go to events and talk to employers in person. Having a face to put with a resume helps so much!
***
If you want to join the Starsky team and help us get unmanned trucks on the road, please apply here.
