RPA has become a mission-critical technology; while companies are deriving immense value from it, RPA itself has transformed the definition of work. It is driving a new way to accomplish tasks – a combination of the digital workforce and humans for productive and efficient working. As the new era of automation ushers, this blend will create many amazing career possibilities.
Apart from being a game-changer for businesses, RPA dictates new rules for personal development, as it is the perfect time to get the relevant training and certifications to seize the emerging opportunities that will soon become in-demand and high-paying jobs.
This article will explain what RPA is, what career options it promises, as well as will offer career guidance on one of the most in-demand jobs in 2021 - RPA Developer and take a closer look at the main responsibilities and skills required for this job.
What is RPA?
RPA is an application of technology or software bots to automate mundane and time-consuming business tasks that previously required human intervention.
This technology offers the capabilities of automating rule-based and repetitive tasks such as information extraction, data entry and manipulation, systems query, records keeping, image recognition, transaction processing, and many other routine tasks. It may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms for automation tasks. RPA Implementation enables organizations to increase efficiency, reduce operational costs, and improve productivity, and the benefits are ultimately passed on to the employees and customers.
It's worth noting that the RPA-based automation we've mentioned earlier is different from traditional Automation.
The traditional form of automation involves a programmer making use of APIs (Application Programming Interface) to integrate different systems whereas RPA uses bots to comprehend user actions at the User-Interface (UI) level. Then, the APIs' limitations and lack of any source code of the software are some of the downsides that limit the use of traditional automation, but RPA makes these restrictions redundant as it works on the UI layer.
What are the career options in RPA?
As RPA is generating a lot of interest in the market, many jobs, such as RPA Developer, RPA Consultant, RPA Project Manager, RPA Architect, RPA Business Analyst, and others, are in high demand. We will briefly explain each role functions:
1- RPA Developer: This role focuses on designing, building, and implementing the automation bots. An RPA Developer needs to have the skills of Software Developer, Business Analyst, and Project Manager.
2- RPA Consultant: The role of RPA Consultant is clear – to help organizations research, design, develop, test, and implement RPA for business process optimization.
3- RPA Project Manager: There is also a need for qualified Project Managers in the RPA domain. The role also requires project management skills to ensure that automation projects meet the deadline and targets.
4- RPA Architect: This role entails the job of translating the business requirements of customers into valuable RPA solutions. They need to zero in on RPA solutions and strategies matching the client requirement, assist Project Managers, and offer continuous advice and recommendations on practices to RPA Developers and many more.
5- RPA Business Analyst: They are also known as Process Analyst. Now, these professionals must understand the ongoing process, identify shortcomings, and automation opportunities, to design the process.
You can choose any of these domains if you would like to, but in this post, we will focus on the RPA Developer role, since observing every RPA profession is out of the scope of the article.
How to become an RPA Developer?
RPA Developer builds and implements automation bots that efficiently perform all of its actions by mimicking the user actions on UI. They use several tools to get their job done and also ensure that what they implemented is working as intended.
The journey of becoming an RPA Developer starts from your graduation. It's preferable to have a Computer Science or associated background to have better familiarity with coding languages. Some of the programming skills that you need to have in your kitty are:
- Coding Skills: Python, Java, C++, .NET, etc.
- Good Database Language knowledge is necessary, like SQL, etc.
- Must be proficient in using RPA platforms like UiPath, Automation Anywhere, etc.
- Sound knowledge of AI and ML
- Scripting languages like JavaScript, HTML will be beneficial.
All RPA platforms will have a Graphical User Interface (GUI), so you should not worry about using RPA platforms, even if you don’t know how to code. But as an RPA Developer, you must understand the underlying complexities. In that case, knowing the underlying programming and the language used is a must, to customize the automated bots or change configurations.
Here is a list of RPA platforms using different Programming Languages for your reference:
- If you are skilled in Java, check out the ElectroNeek platform (basically it has each tool both for low-code/no-code users and advanced developers).
- If you are skilled in Python, check out Argos Lab.
- If you are a .NET programmer, take a look at UiPath or Automation Anywhere's community editions.
- If you plan to break into RPA, look at all the RPA platforms like ElectroNeek, BluePrism, Redwood, UiPath, Automation Anywhere, etc., available for you and the associated Programming Languages. Take up any automation course from the Intellipaat course to start a career in RPA. Or, In case you want a rapid and the smoothest start in RPA, address ElectroNeek Online Academy - this course will allow you to get your RPA Training and Certification from the basics to advanced insights absolutely for free!
What is the role of the RPA Developer?
RPA Developer has many roles and regulations that you must know before hoping to follow the career path, and basically, they vary from company to company. A typical RPA Developer regulations and tasks are:
- Understanding operational requirements of the company to implement automation solutions
- Using RPA tool to code and resolve issues of the automation solution
- Must review automation design and code to validate its accuracy.
- Have to configure automation solutions using RPA tools.
- And finally the documenting every process involved in automation to avoid any fault by reverting to the previous setup.
The Future of the RPA Developer profession
RPA Developer jobs are one of the highest-paid jobs for IT professionals. According to famous job portals like Indeed.com, the mean average salary of RPA Developers for an entry-level position is $63,000 and $99,000 for experienced professionals. Whereas in India, it's INR 776,000, and for experienced, it can go up to INR 1,200,000.
Many companies in countries such as the US and Europe are heavily investing in RPA technology to make it a crucial aspect of business transformation for years to come to lower their outsourcing costs.
According to Gartner, RPA is forecasted to touch USD 2 Billion in 2021, by an increase of 19.5% from 2020, despite Covid-19 Pandemic pressure. If you are a qualified RPA Developer, you can get a job in many RPA vendors, professional services, or technology companies. If you are not, then it's high time to start learning!
See what the free ElectroNeek Online Academy offers to its students and start transforming your career today!