I am a 42 year old RN. I would like to quit nursing and meander my way into the life of robotics engineering. Yeah,… pipe dream,… but,… thats what I want. I live in Jacksonville, Florida, USA and the major university here is University of North Florida. There is no ‘mechatronics’ degree hashed out on a platter to choose from,… so,… my question is,… since I cant move to anywhere I want,… what ‘normal’ degree do I choose to start a new path toward robotics?
These are the ones that appear the most along lines toward robotics. I am old, so I am trying to pick the brain of the world to help me not waste time.
I believe that if/when you start looking for a job in the robotics field that the hiring managers are going to look for a Mechanical or Electronics Engineering degree if you don’t have a one in Robotics.
For example, I just put together a job description for a Statistician, but we’ll entertain candidates with PhD’s in Mathematics, Finance or Computer Engineering.
Thank you for your reply. Appreciate all input. I am serious about making a change, but can not move, have wife and kids. I have colleges that provide degrees more geared toward robotics in all physical directions,… UCF, FAMU, UF,… but I have to make the most of what I have in my area. If anyone has had a similiar situation as I am in, and would like to share what they have learned, please do.
Mechanical Engineering (one of my degrees) - tends to focus on general mechanics, dynamics, mathematics. You should enjoy “physical” design.
Computer Science / computer programming / software engineering etc. - involves programming and lots of it. This is the core of any robot, but takes a special “breed”, so be sure to get your hands dirty before attempting that degree to see if you really enjoy it. Based on experience (and the fact that 90% of my friends program for a living) a university degree is not absolutely necessary as it comes down to what you’re capable of producing.
Electronics Engineering - in robotics, the main demand is for PCB design, component selection an safety.
Physics: Computing Emphasis - Sounds like this would orient you towards R&D and research rather than commercial applications.
What draws you to the field most? If you already know the university you’d like to attend, don’t hesitate to have a 10-20 minute chat with a number of teachers in those fields before making a choice. If they don’t have time for you now, they won’t have time for you later, and you’ll get a good idea of their focus, their department’s focus and where they see students ending up after they graduate.
I am not from your area (like thousands of miles away) but I support your decision since it is never ever too late for a change.
Descriptions from @cbenson are valuable. My first, quick, suggestion would be Mechanical Engineering, but can you check which subjects, courses they have there? If they have some related to, for example, mechatronics, than I would choose that.
What draws me to the field is the thought of making something useful to help people would in turn make me feel useful. I feel as if the labor of learning the science and then applying it would be rewarding. Robots are cool. UNF is the only university I can attend, its a 15 minute drive from where my life has been embedded. I do need to talk with someone at the campus, I believe you are correct. I am not yet a student, so seems awkward to just show up and randomly talk about robot making fantasies to people trying to work,… however,. I need to try. Picking a degree that would take me forever to complete, by throwing a dart is not something I want to do. I completely agree that a university degree is not necessary to gain the knowledge needed, yet I feel it is important to provide a ticket to entering a company as a career change. I can not prove that I studied in my garage and scoured the internet for thousands of hours, although those hours would probably be way more useful, to someone who is looking for a person to hire. Memorizing books on medicine would not allow me to be a doctor, is a comparison that comes to mind, that may be very innaccurate for the realm of robotics.
I am not yet a student, so seems awkward to just show up and randomly talk about robot making fantasies to people trying to work,… however,. I need to try.
Never feel uncomfortable getting “pre-sales” support from teachers, provided you indicate you don’t plan to take up much of their time, go there with prepared questions and if you reach the time limit, don’t keep them further. Another degree I have is in teaching and you’ll be surprised how often the teacher might look at you during the first class if they remember you as the only student they saw before classes started.
Picking a degree that would take me forever to complete, by throwing a dart is not something I want to do. I completely agree that a university degree is not necessary to gain the knowledge needed, yet I feel it is important to provide a ticket to entering a company as a career change.
Yes, but the exception is always proving you have the necessary skills and can produce. A degree is however often necessary to reach certain tasks within a company which might require those qualifications. However you are also correct that some companies filter candidates based on education. We put together a post for a ROS specialist, and put a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field is preferred, though not required.
I can not prove that I studied in my garage and scoured the internet for thousands of hours, although those hours would probably be way more useful, to someone who is looking for a person to hire.
You’d need a scrapbook of your successful creations.
Thank you for your time and valuable input. It is kind of funny how, I went from joking about going back to school, to full support from my family in less than a week. Next week I may find myself roaming around the UNF campus looking for guidance and a clue. I googled ‘robotics forum’ and robotshop was the first link. I signed in and asked my question and was very quickly answered. Absolutely tickled about this whole thing. Appreciate everything
such a big brave choice! I feel like I’m looking at my post
I’m about to make a career change from nurse as well
wish we all can make our dreams come true
