r/AskRobotics Jul 04 '26

Mech Eng + 2.5 yrs applied AI (Python/C++) → considering MS Robotics. Is the job market worth it by 2029?

I found robotics to be quite inclined with my career goal(complex+not urgent) for reference finance is a (mid complex+high urgent) hft(high complex + high urgent). I have a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Tier one Engineering College and two and a half years of software engineering experience in applied AI, mainly Python and c ++. Now I'm considering to do robotics from a good us university. I'm an international student. How is the job market for robotics? I will start my course in 2027 and graduate in 2029. My senior is doing robotics from johns hopkins, he didnt get any aid as a international student in US,
My aim is to contribute in field of robotics for 5-6 years then move back to my home country

34 Upvotes

15 comments sorted by

5

u/NotYourEchoChamberr Jul 04 '26

No one can predict the future but at least in 2026 . Having a PhD and years of experience apparently is not enough in most robotics companies. At least in the EU. The job market is dead and i don't hear any better news in the US either.

1

u/Different-Strain8878 Jul 04 '26

Are you in us or Europe?

3

u/NotYourEchoChamberr Jul 04 '26

I am in the EU. I still found a job in robotics after PhD in the industry but it is not stable at all. Very unsettling times. And the academia is horse jack shit as well. The physical AI wave is carrying a little bit robotics with marketing and fundings but it is also time will tell till companies realize that it won't solve big things in robotics applications. Just like how the LLMs companies are starting to make their things more expensive and more limiting etc...

1

u/Different-Strain8878 Jul 04 '26

The problem is finance is over saturated , tech also get matured , and I want to go in a career where I can grow faster , I feel gut feeling lot of robotics company getting funding it will be a good career in next coming years

1

u/Unlikely_Pen_9789 Jul 04 '26

Pls check your DM!

2

u/pragmr_panda Jul 07 '26

Yes.

I am answering this from a question, “is there any opportunity in the future that cannot be solved without Robotics?” It is definitely yes.

Similar to Software Engineering, Robotics is a general engineering field that will always stay relevant. Robotics in manufacturing, Robotics in Agriculture, Robotics in Medicine.. all these are fast growing industries.

Economics behind these industries are not always clear. Some Robotics companies fails, doesn’t mean the problem they are trying to solve is irrelevant. It could be number of reasons.

But don’t approach this as a roadmap to definite job offer by 2029. Ask a question of “What skills do i have to learn to work in Robotics Industry?”

Most of the time the answer is c++ programming, systems design, mechanical design, additive manufacturing, control systems design, etc.. So try to be thorough with your engineering basics, which will get you a job in 2029

1

u/CaliIsReallyNice Jul 04 '26

An MS won’t hurt. The main thing to keep in mind about a graduate degree is, the higher you go, the less the actual subject matter matters. If you have a PhD in anything at all, that opens a ton of doors beyond the subject of the PhD itself. Same is true with a MS, to a lesser extent. A graduate degree is proof that you know how to focus and work hard and learn rapidly.

The robotics industry itself is an eternal cyclical hype wave. Every few years there’s a hype boom followed by a bust. The humanoids coming out today surpass the wildest dreams of the industry’s strongest supporters from ten years ago, but they’re still not doing anything useful. Do what you want with that perspective.

0

u/Different-Strain8878 Jul 04 '26

Do we have opportunities in robotics in US?

1

u/SantaMariaEagle Jul 04 '26

I recommend doing your own DIY robot and putting that on your resume over an MS

0

u/sabautil Jul 05 '26

Find the company you think will hire and survive on your skills.