Jobs for roboticists

During my Master studies in computer science, I had the opportunity to spend a year at Carnegie Mellon University in the USA. Most of my classes there were about robotics, I got to participate in Robocup and see QRIO dance. That year abroad is what got me into robotics. My logic at the time was that I would never find a job in robotics, it was too futuristic. My only option was to dive into the world of research and academia.

This post is part of Robohub’s Jobs Focus.

Fast forward to today, roboticists now have a variety of career options to choose from. Of those who did their PhD with me, one third ended up in a startup (I’m looking at you Sensefly), one third went to industry or consulting at great companies like Sony or Google, and one third stayed in academia. The number of open positions posted to the main robotics mailing-list for academia has quadrupled in the last 7 years. Wanted Analytics, an expert in talent placement, reports similar increases in hiring demands for artificial intelligence and robotics. Career Builder has over 1000 robotics related jobs posted in the past 30 days. More than 950 robotics-related jobs paying more than 70’000$ were posted on Indeed in the past 15 days alone. O*net, expert in US occupational information, reports Robotics Engineers as having a “bright outlook”.

Hiring Demand for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Skills. Source: Wanted Analytics.

There are a variety of wonderful articles in Robohub’s Jobs Focus analyzing the impact of robotics on the job market or the economy. Few of the articles have considered the inevitable increase in jobs for roboticists. Today you can apply to jobs at Aldebaran, Rethink Robotics, Intuitive Surgical, Kiva Systems, Boston Dynamics or start your own company like several of my colleagues. These possibilities didn’t exist beyond the manufacturing industry just a few years ago. So if you’re still looking at Academia like me, or interested in industry or startups, robotics will continue to develop into a new and emerging job market.

Are you a roboticist? Where do you work? Was it hard for you to find a job? Let us know in the comments section below.

Sabine Hauert is President of Robohub and Associate Professor at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory

Sabine Hauert is President of Robohub and Associate Professor at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory