In this interview with Sahil Singh, a campus recruit from 2022, he discusses his journey and experiences with Toyota Connected India up to this point.
Were you familiar with TCIN before joining?
I only knew after the placements that Toyota had a division for Connected car platforms; however, when TCIN came to campus for recruitment, there was quite a buzz among my peers after attending the pre-placement talk. Not only did my perspective broaden toward the automobile industry, but it also left me excited about the opportunities presented at Toyota Connected.
Please share your experience with the onboarding process, including the type of support and training you received.
It was a bright morning on the 4th of July '22; I was a bit anxious as the lift crept up to the 10th floor. I was greeted by cheerful smiles and a warm welcome, a placard with my name, and along with a bouquet, which made me feel right at home. I was seated at my desk, providing the best hardware any software could run on! A month-long technical training boot camp and soft skill sessions followed it. We were encouraged to ask questions, take up initiatives, create connections, and be introduced to cutting-edge technologies that we would use. Our training in the first month made a strong base for the work that would follow with our teams. The soft skill sessions had the highest call-back value as I continued to take inspiration from conversations and ideas we shared and apply some mantras to work more productivity.
What avenues of technological exploration were/are available to you at TCIN?
The culture at TCIN is such that we are encouraged to explore the latest and most significant technical advancements, ranging from employing ML in Automation, Using Augmented Reality to change how we drive cars, Creating rich AI models, Developing platforms for CRM applications, Building Apps rich with infographics to getting affiliated with IIT Madras to learn cutting edge technologies, presenting ideas at Acceleration and even having the opportunity to present papers in International Journals!
Could you speak to the support you received from your peers, managers, and leaders at TCIN?
My team focuses significantly on the professional growth of each individual by cultivating an environment that inspires and motivates individuals to take up initiatives, providing the safety to take risks while learning new technologies, and supporting them at each step of the process. The environment is optimistic and instills the quality to help other teammates. My manager inspires me to bring my creative side to work, supports me when needed, and provides valuable insights from her experience, which has significantly helped increase my productivity.
The Leaders motivate teams to bring up new ideas and encourage members to explore how we can deploy cutting-edge technologies in our frameworks to make tools that help the organization and potentially bring disruptive changes in the Mobility industry.
How would you describe your personal, professional, and engineering growth over the past year at TCIN?
Over the past year, I've understood that TCIN is an organization that tends to propel visions to fruition. Toyota Connected, a Japanese organization, keeps Kaizen at its core, i.e., constant progress toward success; I've felt this in my personal and professional growth over the past year.
Professionally, I've started to take more initiative, take charge of stories, feel more confident taking up tasks with little experience, implement while learning along the way, and have become very passionate about what I do. The philosophy of EPIC brings a sense of servitude to the community and helps peers. Being at Toyota brings a sense of pride; more interesting is that I've become very passionate about the future of the automotive industry, too.
What value amongst EPIC that you appreciate and have experienced the most here?
Naming just one of the core values would be an injustice to others, as one value also tends to bring others into effect. I'd like to quote -
Empathy is when you understand the team's vision, Passion is when you ignite that vision, and Innovation happens when you work with Empathy and Passion. At the same time, Collaboration binds these together to bring change. I've seen these values reflect not just in individuals but in entire teams at TCIN, and this culture has also cultivated the same values within my professional and personal life.
Is there anything else you want to mention or talk about?
How can I forget the diversity TCIN brings to the office, be it in the daily lunch menu, the way we collaborate with different teams or work with folks from TCNA, or at the Quarterly Townhall Happy Hours, all of it while we learn a bit of Japanese culture and refer to our mates with the respectful titles like San, Kun, and Sensei. TCIN brings a global perspective to what we build and achieve here.