Introduction
Hi there, writing this blog is Jack, CEO and Co-Founder of HausBots. We started HausBots in 2018 with a vision of building robots to make maintaining and inspecting buildings and infrastructure faster, more cost-effective and remove the danger from working at height.
Fast forward to today, we’re based in Birmingham, UK, we are a growing team and have raised investment from world-renowned Venture Capital funds. Our first product, a wall-climbing robot, is out there being tested in real life and (so far) bringing benefits to our early clients.
In this blog, I am going to discuss a bit more about what it’s like to work in the robotics industry, why it’s a great place for people to consider a career path and a bit more about how you can get into the industry.
This blog is aimed at those either considering robotics after school, robotics after university or interested in a career switch (including those just looking for a different industry to apply their skills to).
Why Robotics is So Great
Robotics is certainly the industry of the future. Whilst you may have seen robots working in factories, making cars or in other manufacturing applications, the next 5 years will see phenomenal growth of ‘non-industrial robots’ as robotics makes its’ way out of the factory and into our lives. The total market size of all robotics is estimated to reach $210Bn by 2025, making it one of the fastest-growing and exciting sectors for a career choice.
Typical Jobs in Robotics
The definition of a robot is ‘any automatically operated machine that replaces human effort, though it may not resemble human beings in appearance or perform functions in a humanlike manner.’ Robotics is therefore the engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction, and operation of robots.
Robotics integrates fields of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, information engineering, mechatronics, electronics, bioengineering, computer engineering, control engineering, software engineering, among others. This makes robotics an extremely interesting career as it spreads so many disciplines and there can be a space for anyone. It usually attracts those personalities fascinated with combining experimenting in many areas, as opposed to just one, in the way that for example web development is.
But, don’t forget, there are a number of business functions in a robotics career too, not just engineering. At HausBots, for example, we employ robot operators (those who control the robots on job sites), sales representatives, marketing and more. So just because engineering isn’t your thing, doesn’t mean you should discount a robotics career. It is a high growth, highly exciting area to be involved in for everyone.
How to Get Into a Robotics Career?
At all stages:
No matter what your stage of life is, the single most important thing to boosting your career in robotics is to have a genuine interest. Start getting excited about robotics, learn as much as you can. These books are a great starting point: CLICK HERE
But then why don’t you play around with the ultimate useful machine (that’s close to a robot). A 3D printer! You can start messing around with the electronics, software and mechanics and get 3D printed pieces out the other end.
Something like a Creality Ender is a great starting point.
What should I study at A-Level for a robotics career?
The obvious answer would be to have some STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) thrown in. But make sure not to limit yourself, robotics is a very holistic field so you should definitely be looking for a broader set of A-Levels.
What should I study at university for a robotics career?
There are a number of robotics related courses. If you are interested in general robotics, then a Mechatronics course would be a very interesting course to choose. Many people also do a specialised Undergraduate and then choose to study robotics further. For example Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate, followed by a Masters Degree in Robotics. You should be looking for courses in the main disciplines I mentioned earlier: Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, Software. You can search the UCAS website for inspiration.
Do I need a degree to work in robotics?
No. You can get into robotics in many ways, from apprenticeships, through to work placements. At HausBots, we are far more interested in your hobbies and your love for robotics as a passion than we are your pieces of paper. You can search NCS for inspiration.
Working at HausBots and What We Look For
Hopefully, you have read all of that and are thinking ‘Heck Yeah! I want to get into this robotics stuff’. So let’s help you think about finding a job.
HausBots is a startup. Which means we are very different from a regular company that you might get a job at. We offer lots of great benefits, but the most important ones our employees love are:
- Truly Flexible Working. Get your work done, any time of the day or night at any location and we will be happy.
- Learn from Every Colleague. We only hire A* individuals, you can learn from the best of the best in every discipline here.
- Real responsibility. There’s no hiding at HausBots! You’re given real ownership and autonomy over your job.
- Be Part of a Bigger Mission. We are all obsessed and driven by changing work at height forever. We wake up every day excited to bring our robotics to buildings and infrastructure.
- Earn share options in the company. Everyone has the chance to work towards an ownership stake in the company. We are all on this mission together.
There isn’t one single thing we look for when hiring, but what I will say is experience and qualifications mean very little to us. Values and a constant desire to learn, improve and be excited about our mission are much more important in our hiring decisions.
HausBots Careers
We are always looking to meet with smart and curious individuals. Please head to our careers page and send us a message, we will invite almost everyone for a chat!