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No engineering degree required

Entry-level robotics jobs

Most jobs that train and run robots ask for a driver's license, steady hands or a willingness to learn, not an engineering degree. Of the 239 robot-training jobs open today, 6 require a college degree outright. Here are the ones open to beginners, what employers ask for instead and what they pay.

See entry-level jobsWhat employers ask for
A woman in a VR headset raises two motion controllers while a robot arm on the bench lifts a blue mug into a tray.
Illustrative example of robot teleoperation. Equipment and tasks vary by employer.
184
52
6 of 239
$22–$30/hr

Entry-level egocentric & wearable capture jobs

Jobs whose title names no senior or management role and whose description asks for no college degree outright and less than 3 years of work experience. A job posted in several cities appears once.

Showing 28 of 28 jobs, each employer's newest first.

Listings come from employer job feeds, refreshed daily. Requirements are read from each job's own description; check the full posting before you apply. Pay is the employer's advertised amount, not guaranteed earnings. Some links on RobotTraining.jobs are referral links. If you sign up through one, RobotTraining.jobs may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what a platform pays you.

In the employers' own words

What current postings say about degrees, experience and training, quoted from each job's description.

What employers ask for instead of a degree

Counted from the descriptions of all 239 open robot-training jobs, entry level or not. A requirement counts only when the posting states it, so read these as minimums.

6

require a college degree with no alternative

16

accept a degree or equivalent experience

11

ask for a high school diploma or its equivalent

88ask for a driver's license or a clean driving record
60state a lifting limit
Typically 50 lb, up to 75 lb.
34mention a background check or drug test
19require a commercial driver's license (CDL)
Self-driving truck roles, usually with years of commercial driving.
17require FAA Part 107 for flying drones
A knowledge test, not a pilot license.
19state a minimum age
18+ in 6, 21+ in 10, 25+ in 3.
16say they train you or need no prior experience
41ask for 3 or more years of work experience
54 jobs state any years at all.

The 6 jobs that require a degree

Kinds of entry-level robotics work

How many of each kind's open jobs pass the entry-level test, what their postings ask for most often and what they pay.

What entry-level robotics jobs pay

Pay is set by each employer and many postings state none, so compare the rate on each posting.

Typical advertised pay, entry-level jobs in the US

$22–$30/hrmedian $26/hr

The middle half of 58 jobs from 19 employers that state an hourly wage, using the midpoint of each job's stated range. Programs that pay per accepted hour of recorded footage are left out.

Advertised pay in current listings

  • SkydioFlight Test Operator - Data Collection Fixed Term · San Mateo, California, United States, United States$50–$60/hr
  • Sunday RoboticsMemory Developer (in-house) PM Shift · Redwood City, CA, United States$35/hr
  • 1X TechnologiesRobot Service Technician · San Carlos, CA, United States$25 – $43/hr • Offers Equity
  • ZiplineFlight Test Operator, Amarillo · Amarillo, Texas, USA$30–$36/hr
  • Aurora InnovationCentral Development Operations Specialist · Pittsburgh, PA, United States$27.5–$33.5/hr
  • PykaFlight Operations Associate, Temporary · Alameda HQ, United States$28–$32/hr
  • Figure AIHumanoid Robot Operator, Commercial Site Team (LA) · Los Angeles, CA$26–$30/hr
  • NuroOn-Site Hiring Event: Autonomous Vehicle Operator, San Francisco (12-Month Duration) · California - SF$27/hr

One US example per employer, its newest posting that states pay. Check shift differentials, overtime and contract length on the posting.

How to get hired without a degree

What the requirements above mean in practice, and what you can do before you apply.

Keep your driving record clean

Test-driver and self-driving car operator jobs check your record and often want a license held for several years (5 years is typical among the jobs that say). A recent accident or a string of tickets can rule you out.

Get FAA Part 107 for drone work

In the US, flying drones for work requires the FAA's remote pilot certificate: a multiple-choice knowledge test at an FAA-approved testing center, open to anyone 16 or older, plus a TSA security check. It is the one credential drone operator postings ask for most.

Be ready for shifts and physical work

Robot labs and fleets run day, night and weekend shifts. Many roles keep you on your feet and ask you to lift equipment, typically up to 50 lb, so read the physical requirements before you apply.

Show you are reliable and precise

Robot training data is only useful when every take follows the procedure. Employers look for steady work history, punctuality and care with repetitive tasks, and some postings name retail, food service and delivery work as relevant background.

Gaming, VR and hobby robotics help

Teleoperation postings value comfort with video games, VR headsets and multi-monitor setups. Robot data collection postings mention school robotics teams such as FIRST and VEX, and hands-on hobbies count as experience.

Start from home if you cannot move

Recording everyday tasks on video and labeling robot video can be done remotely, in many countries. See remote robot-training jobs for the countries each listing accepts.

This page covers jobs that train and run robots. Factory robot technicians, maintenance mechanics and robotic welders are entry-level robotics jobs too, but they are not tracked here.

Common questions

Answers from what these employers post today, refreshed with the job board.

Can you get a robotics job without a degree?
Yes. Of the 239 robot-training jobs open today, 6 require a college degree outright (Cota Robotics, Saronic and Waymo), and 16 more accept experience instead of a degree. 11 jobs ask only for a high school diploma or its equivalent, and most state no education requirement at all. Requirements are counted from each job's own description.
What is the easiest way into robotics?
Robot operator and data collection jobs are the most open to beginners: the employer teaches you to run the robot, the teleoperation rig or the recording equipment, and 16 open jobs say training is provided or no experience is needed. Reliability matters more than credentials, because the data you produce has to follow the procedure exactly. Recording videos of everyday tasks at home is easier still to start, though it usually pays per accepted hour of footage.
How much do entry-level robotics jobs pay?
Across the 58 entry-level jobs in the United States that state an hourly wage, the middle half advertise $22–$30 an hour and the median is $26 (the midpoint of each job's stated range, from 19 employers, refreshed daily). At-home video recording projects are not in that figure: they usually pay per accepted hour of footage. Advertised pay is not guaranteed earnings.
Do you need experience to become a robot operator?
Usually not. 184 open jobs pass this page's entry-level test, and only 13 of them state any years of experience, always fewer than 3. Teleoperation postings tend to value comfort with video games, VR headsets or multi-monitor setups, and robot data collection postings mention hobby robotics such as FIRST or VEX teams.
What do self-driving car operator jobs require?
A driver's license held for several years and a clean record are the core of it. Of the 50 self-driving car, robotaxi and truck operator jobs open today, 43 ask for a driver's license or a clean driving record and 12 state a minimum driving history (typically 5 years). Stated minimum ages run from 21 to 25. Expect a background check, and a drug test for safety-sensitive roles. The 16 truck jobs that require a commercial license (a CDL) usually also want years of commercial driving, so they are rarely entry level.
Can you start a robotics job from home?
Some of it. 35 entry-level jobs here are fully remote, mostly recording videos of everyday tasks or labeling robot video, and each one lists the countries it accepts. Running the robots themselves is almost always done on-site, at a lab, warehouse or test track.

How this is counted: a job is one employer and one job title, however many cities it is posted in, and its requirements are read from its newest posting. Entry level means the title names no senior, lead, supervisor, manager or engineering role, and the description asks for no college degree outright, less than 3 years of work experience and no pilot license. Years of licensed driving do not count as work experience.

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