Careers in robotics

Learn

What you’ll learn

• The different roles that build robots
• Skills that matter in every role
• Routes into robotics, and how to keep going

Many jobs, one robot

Role	Works on
Mechanical engineer	Structures, mechanisms, CAD, materials
Electrical / electronics engineer	Circuits, power, PCBs, motor drivers
Embedded software engineer	Microcontroller code, real-time control
Robotics software engineer	ROS, navigation, planning, simulation
Controls engineer	Feedback control, PID, motion
Computer vision / AI engineer	Perception and learning
Technician	Building, testing, maintaining robots
Product designer / UX	How people use and feel about the robot
Project manager, safety engineer, ethicist, teacher	Making it all work, safely and fairly

Skills that matter everywhere

• Maths and physics basics
• Programming (Python and C/C++ are common)
• Hands-on building and debugging
• Teamwork and communication: robots are always built by teams
• Documentation: notebooks, diagrams, clear explanations

Routes in

• University degrees: mechanical, electrical, mechatronics, computer science, robotics
• Apprenticeships and technician courses
• Self-taught portfolios: many engineers start with projects like the ones in this course

Examples

Example: a beginner’s portfolio

1. Line follower: a video, the code, and a tuning table showing improvements.
2. Robot arm: CAD screenshots of a custom part, and record/replay code.
3. Simulator challenge: a maze solved in RoboLearn’s simulator, explained in a short write-up.
4. Competition: an engineering notebook and what the team learned.

Example: next steps after RoboLearn

• Build a robot with encoders and PID speed control.
• Learn ROS 2 with turtlesim, then on a real robot.
• Design and order a simple PCB.
• Mentor younger students: teaching is the best test of understanding.

Practice

Match the roleEasy

Which role would design a robot’s gripper, write its PID loop, and pick its battery? Mechanical engineer; controls (or embedded software) engineer; electrical engineer.

Start a portfolioMedium

Choose two projects you’ve done (or will do) in this course. For each, write a 3-sentence summary of the problem, what you built and what you learned.

Talk to an engineerHard

Find someone who works in engineering, tech or making (online talks count). Write down three things they say they wish they’d learned earlier.

Quick check

1. Who usually designs a robot’s mechanisms in CAD?

Mechanical engineerEthicistAccountantNobody

2. A skill important in every robotics role is…

Teamwork and communicationJugglingOnly mathsOnly soldering

3. A good way to show your skills without a degree yet is…

A portfolio of projectsSaying you’re goodBuying expensive kitsNothing

Check my answers