Automation Specialist: Career Prospects and Tips for Getting Started

Technological development serves as the driving factor behind many companies’ demands for automation to make their business operation easier. Therefore, an automation specialist has become one of the most wanted professions today. What is an automation specialist? What are they responsible for? What do the career prospects look like? And what can you do to work as an automation specialist? Let’s take a look at the complete explanation below!

What is an Automation Specialist?

An automation specialist is a profession that requires someone to perform automation in certain fields to facilitate and make business or operational processes smooth. In general, automation specialists are sourced from people who majored in Informatics Engineering and other relevant fields with skills to design, assemble, and analyze automation software.

Automation specialists are needed by various companies and industries, with the financial field being the most common sector requiring this position. It is without a doubt that every company or industry needs an accurate and fast financial calculation. That’s what automation specialists attempt to present while installing specific programs.

Automation Specialist Responsibilities

Automation specialists are usually in charge of designing and implementing automation solutions to increase operational efficiency in a company, industry, or organization. They identify processes that can be optimized, develop scripts or bots, integrate systems, and perform testing.

In addition, they also carry out maintenance and provide technical support for the existing systems. Therefore, expertise in programming and system analysis is of high importance, apart from problem-solving skills and the ability to communicate alternative solutions effectively to the stakeholders in the organization.

The Career Prospects of an Automation Specialist

It is mentioned in the explanation above that automation specialists are highly in demand in the digitalization era today. Thus, it is safe to say that they have bright career prospects because almost all industries need them to optimize their operational activities.

How to Become an Automation Specialist

Despite its growing popularity, there are several requirements you need to meet to become an automation specialist. Check out the steps below!

1. Improve the required basic knowledge

We all know that reaching a dream of becoming an automation specialist does not demand you to acquire a bachelor's degree. According to the data by Zippia, one out of six automation specialists is a common high school graduate. However, they possess basic knowledge or skills in robotics engineering, informatics engineering, statistics, business, and many more.

So, you can hone and improve your skills in those fields by taking some courses on the four studies mentioned above. There is also another option where you can try to obtain SACA Industry 4.0 Associate certification as your first step to becoming an automation specialist.

2. Hone important soft skills

Aside from enhancing your expertise in technical fields, honing soft skills in communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and paying attention to detail are no less important. This is because companies and organizations will surely prefer someone with those capabilities to someone else with merely technical skills.

3. Explore a specialization according to your passion

Automation specialists can be divided further into some specific fields. You may explore a specialization according to your passion, such as in the digital marketing or customer relationship management field. This skill will shape you to understand better the company where you work and what problems they face, and finally to develop the software they need to tackle the problems.

4. Collect as many experiences as possible

Despite everything, experience is the key to success, other than understanding technical and supporting knowledge. That’s why you must collect as many experiences as possible if you dream of having a great career as an automation specialist.

The first thing you can do after graduating from Informatics Engineering or acquiring SACA Industry 4.0 Associate certification is applying for an entry-level IT job to gain experience in software testing, cybersecurity management, database management, or computer programming. Collect at least 7,500 work hours (for IT/engineering major degree holders) or 15,000 work hours (for non-IT/engineering major degree holders) to have adequate experience to move forward to your next career path.

5. Obtain relevant certifications

Despite the increasing demand for automation specialists today, improving knowledge remains a priority. You can hone your skills by taking relevant certifications in this field, for example by participating in the Certified Automation Professional (CAP) which tests your competency in the industry.


Now, you must’ve grasped an overview of the responsibilities, career opportunities, and steps to become an automation specialist. Aside from the tips above, you also need to keep yourself updated with the latest technology trends, for example in the financial sector. To have a wide knowledge of technological advances in the financial sector, check out our insightful articles in Jalin’s blog now!