A futuristic course

It is nigh impossible for one to escape the constant bombardment of robots. Turn on the news and something or the other would pop up about new breakthroughs in robotics technology. Flick through your daily paper and you’ll come across an article about how robotics tech is being integrated into our daily lives - be it restaurants, travel, hospitals, schools, or even our homes. Simply put, robots are everywhere. 

With so much exposure, is it any wonder that young, impressionable kids want to pursue robotics as a career? The good news is robotics offers viable job prospects and advancement opportunities should you choose to make a living through robotics. 

Scope

A reputed job portal conducted a study on job opportunities available in India in the robotics sector which revealed a surge of 186 per cent amongst Indian job seekers between May 2015 and May 2018 looking to make a career in the robotics sector. Also, the sector saw a rise of 191 percent in job postings during the aforementioned period. 

Over the past few years, the robotics sector has witnessed a huge demand for robotics talent with sectors like manufacturing, healthcare and construction leading the way. And not to forget its myriad applications in other sectors such as automotive, military, industry, space, agriculture, etc. With access to Internet connectivity and open source applications becoming more readily available to the Indian citizens, this will prove conducive to the sector’s growth. 

Where are the jobs? 

So, you've completed your degree and are on the lookout for an opportunity in robotics. Where do you go from here? Are there even jobs out there? And more importantly...jobs in which field? You’d be delighted to know that you have a number of specialised fields in Robotics where you can make a career. 

Let’s list some of those options out: Micro-Robotics, Automation, Bio-Cybernetics, Digital Electronics and Micro-Processors, Medical Robotics, Design and Control, Signal Processing, Robot Manipulators, Computer Integrated Manufacturing System, Robot Motion Planning, Computational Geometry, Computer Aided Manufacturing, Air Traffic Management Systems, Artificial Intelligence and more. 

And we still haven’t spoken about opportunities in appliances & electronics building, food packaging, teaching, etc. Not to mention maintenance of power plants, nuclear research, space exploration, automobile industry, petroleum exploration et al.  

There’s this fear among students  that automation is taking away human jobs. You’d be surprised to know that due to automation a larger number of jobs are being created for skilled personnel. In India, Maharashtra is leading the states when it comes to creating the most robotic jobs followed closely by Karnataka and Telangana. 

There are quite a few openings here in the country as well as abroad for those of you who are passionate about robotics.  

Salary 

As per PayScale, an aggregator of salary, compensation and benefits packages, the average pay for a robotics engineer in India is Rs 4,86,082. Though, the starting package for an entry-level robotics engineer varies between Rs 1.6 and 3.6 lakh per year. 

Top Recruiters 

There are a number of government players who recruit robotics engineers heavily. Some of these are:

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
• Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
• Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)

— Inputs from Tarun Bhalla, CEO & Founder, Avishkaar