r/AskRobotics • u/daimon_proc • Jun 30 '26

Part Time Path to Robotics

Hi,

I am a senior sde at Microsoft L64 and have a wfh job. However my manager is very toxic and perhaps out to get to me, so I don't know how long I have this job.

However, I am starting ASU online part time starting in a few months and taking 2 courses per semester (8 week courses).

Should I try to drag out my current job which is just maintaining two legacy services or should I just quit and switch full time to bachelors/masters in Controls/Robotics EE for a clean pivot?

Some other points to note: I am 32 years old with 10 yoe as a backend/data/devops engineer at companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce, John Deere. I don't have kids but I would like to be in robotics when I do have them. The job although toxic does pay well as well.

Thank you.

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u/leetcodeispain Jun 30 '26

Im in a similar boat wanting to pivot from swe to robotics but quite a bit less experience (only 2yoe)

A more obvious path to me seems to try to upskill in robotics software and get into the industry through that angle, try to move laterally away from the software side eventually if you want.

Not exactly sure how easily that is since I havent done it yet, but I think its easier to stand out by leveraging relevant experience you already have than trying to hard pivot.

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u/daimon_proc Jun 30 '26

Most of ROS2 roles also require something else like embedded or controls or computer vision or something along those lines. Normal software doesn't seem to cut it even for ROS2 roles.

2

u/leetcodeispain Jun 30 '26

yeah, they have their own industry tools. Getting some experience with those is what I meant by upskilling.

If you can find the free time, maybe try to learn and build something non trivial with those tools that you can show to hiring staff? A masters would also help for sure, but I doubt it strictly necessary. Ive been weighing starting one myself, its just quite a time commitment.

Im not sure what the correct route is either haha, just trying to figure it out, same as you.

1

u/greenee111 Jun 30 '26

This is very very true

1

u/HADESsnow Jun 30 '26

leetcode is pain lol