by Budge Burgess

Created on: April 09, 2009

Robotics is still in its infancy. It's in a position not dissimilar to computing in the 1960's. Look how far computers have come since 1970. Imagine the impact robots might be having by 2050?

The number and variety of jobs in computing exploded in the late 20th century. We could witness a similar explosion in robotics in the coming decades. There are few areas of contemporary life untouched by computers, directly or indirectly. If you want a career in the future world of robotics, prepare now.

But what exactly is a career in robotics? There are a handful of people at the cutting edge, leading research programmes in the major university departments or working for powerful industrial players like Honda. There are far more engaged in the manufacture, sale, installation, and maintenance of robots.

And still others working in the design and manufacture of specific robot bits and pieces, or making contributions to the broader field of robotics - from graphic designers to science fiction writers, from health professionals to soldiers, from toy makers to hobbyists.

In the coming decades we'll all use robots, much the same as we've become accustomed to computers in the present. Finding your niche is down to who you are and where your interests lie. Robots are going to make an impact on your world; find your niche!

You're eight years old and a mathematical genius? Well, maybe someday you'll be a university professor pushing forward the boundaries of robotics you've got your life ahead of you, set yourself goals.

You're 59, a grandmother, and a bit scared of robots? Robotics seems like a male dominated world, a world for the young and educated? You'll have a harder time breaking in than that eight year old, and maybe you won't have quite such a stellar career. Don't let that stop you.

Consider your skills and aptitudes, think how and where you might best find a role in the future industry. It's worth going online to try a few aptitude tests - these are statistical tools, they work on a probability that you behave and think one way, not another, but they're not absolutes. Try a few. Think where your skills, talents, and interests lie. Be prepared for surprises, and aspire to challenges.

Robotics covers an unlimited range of arts, crafts, sciences and technologies. Robots will change your everyday life, as computers already have. The pace of change will increase - robotics is a potentially vast, emerging world, and what's important is that you find a role which is rewarding and

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