Robotic Process Automation Careers in India – What Course Should I Take Up?

With the arrival of industrial robots a few decades ago, the global manufacturing sector witnessed a major surge in production. These robots, equipped with sensors and actuators and designed to move in multiple axis, brought about a major transformation in the industrial operation. Fast forward to 21^st century and we see ourselves in the middle of the information age. The robots that we talk about today are a lot more simple yet sophisticated as compared to the industrial robots. These soft robots are designed to do manual and often tedious and repetitive desk jobs of human beings.

The soft robots, or bots as their commonly called, are developed using pre-designed RPA tools. The developers who design RPA solutions, place a set of rules and plan the logical flow of activities to ensure that a particular task is completed successfully. There are many players involved in various stages of developing and implementing an RPA solution. The process requires the team to understand the needs of the client and business process, check the feasibility of implementing an RPA solution, plan and develop the solution and finally test the automation in the production environment.

If you are someone who likes the idea of developing automated processes to address real-world business challenges, then a career in RPA might be just for you. A course in RPA may open doors to many career opportunities. Analysts, architects, program managers and developers are some of the job roles within the Robotic Process Automation domain. So how can one prepare himself to get into RPA jobs? What are the courses one can take up in order to start a career in Robotic Process Automation? This write-up tries to answer these questions.

Vendor Developed Online Tutorials

These are video tutorials created by organizations that develop Robotic Process Automation tools. Organizations such as UiPath and Automation Anywhere, that have their own platforms with pre-designed tools which can be used to automate business processes, offer a wide-range of robotic process automation online training programs in order to up-skill students and professionals and make them ready for RPA careers. Students or professionals can choose from a list of programs (which includes free robotic process automation online training courses) based on their level of understanding of RPA and also the career role they are preparing themselves for. These programs allow participants to learn at their own pace but nevertheless the participants are expected to have basic understanding of computers. Though these courses can lead to many career opportunities, developers may require knowledge of core programming languages in order to extend the functionality of RPA solutions and to grow in the industry. The online training may not involve programming concepts.

Full-time Degree Courses Specializing in Process Automation

When it comes to preparing for a career in Robotic Process Automation in India, there are few things a student or an aspirant must know.

• He/she must be aware of the technical knowledge and skills required to get into the world of RPA and sustain and grow there.
• He/she must be aware of the developments happening in the RPA industry and what the future is going to be like. This can help them plan well before jumping into the domain.

The growing need for qualified talent in this modern domain has led many educational institutions in India to offer programs that meet the purpose. Today there are UG programs specializing in Process Automation in India. B.Tech or a BCA program specializing in RPA builds strong foundational knowledge in core areas of computer science. Students get to learn programming languages such as the Java and C# and also get exposed to concepts of OOPs and database management systems. This knowledge can help students on a longer-run during their careers.

As far as Robotic Process Automation is concerned, students start from introduction chapter and go on to gain hands-on learning experience through practical labs. Some of these programs go a step ahead and teach students about Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. These two areas are already bringing about major changes in RPA industry. By gaining knowledge about such futuristic technology, students will have more confidence when they get into the industry. Backed by the knowledge, students will be well equipped and trained to apply their skills in their new jobs. They will have the potential to contribute greatly to the growth of the RPA industry.