Slashdot Mirror
Preparing for a Career in Robotics?
seanfast asks: "I just graduated from college with a B.S. in CompSci and a specialization in Artificial Intelligence. I am currently working full time, but I want to go back to school part time for my M.S. and specialize in AI or Robotics. Unfortunately, with my time schedule, and the extreme scarcity of a degree with either of those specializations being in my vicinity, I will most likely have to settle simply for a M.S. in CompSci with no specialization. If I want to work in the field of robotics and AI later on in life, what do I need to do in my current situation to prepare myself? Some have told me I need a strong mechanical engineering background, some have said I need a stronger software background, and some say I need to just tinker with stuff in my free time and not even worry about what they can teach you in school. Any advice, Slashdot?"
If you've never been published, can we assume that you didn't do a master's thesis (opting to go the route of just taking classes instead)?
If that is the case, that is probably a HUGE strike against you. An MS in any field where you simply take classes will only look slightly better than a BS. However, if you do a thesis and get published, you give yourself a lot of room for leverage.
To the submitter:
I'm in a similar situation--I want to go into evolutionary computation and neural networks, and have talked to many faculty about it. The bright side is this: AI is the field that most scientists in other fields say they wish they could be in. You can do some great things with it once you reach the right level of knowledge and respect.
Now the bad news. A large portion of what you do may end up requiring a PhD in order to 'prove yourself' to the 'big dogs.' Part of the issue with getting a PhD is that you really have to be in it for the science and not be concerned with making money equal to your efforts. If you are interested in money, 6 years of industry experience will likely get you farther than 6 years working on your doctorate. If you ask your professors, I'm sure most of them will tell you that AI has the reputation of being both the hardest area of CS and the one with the least job potential.
Speaking of professors, are you talking to them? How many people have you talked to at your university about this? For that matter, what university are you currently going to? It's a big drop from Stanford to Ga Tech, and a really big drop from Ga Tech to some out of the way school. If you're interested in robotics (or AI in general), you NEED to get to a top tier school. Talk to your professors about how that you can do that, and what you need to do right now.
I would doubt that a degree from MIT with a specialization in robotics would be taken lightly (especially if you have published in some prestigious conferences).
Eldavojohn has a point but I fundamentally disagree with some aspects. Grade Point Averages do not determine your life, or rather you shouldn't let it determine your life. If a C (2.0) from English or History or some long ago class is pulling down your grade, will the Robotics community in the real world really care? My answer: maybe but there are always other places to go to and companies to work for that are involved in this type of thing.
But the point is, if this is something you truly want, you can get involved in it in some way. Not having the perfect grade will be an obstacle, but most obstacles can be overcome with desire - just have a strategy; for example if the academic community won't take you just yet, work for a company that will give you good experience and get you one step closer to this goal. Keep up on the latest trends and find out what works and better yet, what didn't work and why.
In this type of thing, you are only beaten when you admit defeat. Robotics is a field ready for a lot of input from people simply because no one has gotten a whole lot of things "correct" yet. Innovation may come from distinguished professors in the field, entreprenuers, or the industry as a whole (think Honda). The only question is, do you really have the desire to put the work and dedication in?
A comment that one of my lecturers made way back when I was doing my Cognitive Science degree always stuck with me. She said that what we consider A.I now won't be considered A.I in the future.
Take Chess as an example. Back in the 60s and 70s it was thought of as the cutting edge of A.I research. But when I was studying many moons ago it had long been realised that the ability to win a chess game did not help you solve other complex problems.
Self driving cars were considered science fiction ten years ago, are cutting edge now and will probably be passe ten years from now.
All I can say is don't get to locked into one vision of what robotics entails. Be flexible in what you learn and how you apply those skills to your job.