I lead the development of many a Sphero product. I lead our team and give them direction in software engineering, app development, and product prototyping. Essentially, I help make the call on what to build and how to build it.
CAREER
Robotics Engineers
Overview
Salary Median (2020)
$100,640
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)
0% (little or no change)
Career
Roadtrip Nation Leaders in This Career
What Robotics Engineers Do
Research, design, develop, or test robotic applications.
Other Job Titles Robotics Engineers May Have
Automation Engineer, Autonomous Vehicle Design Engineer, Design Engineer, Factory Automations Engineer
How Leaders Describe a Typical Day at Work
I review scenarios where our truck may have not behaved as our software engineers intended it to. After a test, we'll develop an event ticket where I'm able to analyze the situation that the truck was in and investigate why it behaved the way that it did. Then I channel that feedback back to the software engineers so that they can take corrective action.
Tasks & Responsibilities May Include
- Review or approve designs, calculations, or cost estimates.
- Process or interpret signals or sensor data.
- Debug robotics programs.
- Build, configure, or test robots or robotic applications.
- Create back-ups of robot programs or parameters.
Education
Level of Education Attained by Robotics Engineers
Most common level of education among people in
this career: Bachelor's degree (50%)
Associate's degree
Bachelor's degree
Master's degree
Majors Related to Career
Educational Paths Suggested by Leaders
Suggested Path
Bachelor
Industrial Engineering
Graduate
Mechanical Engineering
Doctorate
Mechanical Engineering
Suggested Path
High School
Bachelor
Graduate
Business Administration and Management, General
Additional Skills & Experiences That Can Help You Excel
The most important thing about running a company is to not get too caught up in things and let the stress overtake your life. Know when to keep going, but also know when to quit.
Being a team player is so important. In this industry, you're working with so many different people with different backgrounds. Knowing how to communicate with those people is key.
Getting Started
Recommended First Step for:
College Students
Travel, learn other languages, get to know other cultures and other ways of doing things. Be open-minded and never give up. Learn how to sketch drawings by hand (without computers). Also, learn how to use CAD programs (like SolidWorks).
I've always had a rule to never have a job where I wasn't always learning something. And, always chose fun. If you aren't enjoying what you are doing, do something else.
I do think it's important to get an engineering degree. I also recommend that you focus on doing. It's very easy to read, listen to podcasts, and do research and feel like you're doing things. Those are all great ways to gain knowledge. However, actually doing the tasks and gaining hands-on experience is key. In this industry, when you actually do something, the chances of you getting it right the first time are slim. So get comfortable with trying, failing, and learning.
Everyone
This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
