Career Options for Women - Jessica Amsden

"With robotics you get to focus on more than one thing. You experience a whole range of technological areas."

The demand for computer controlled robotics automation is expected to increase over the next five years, due to manufacturer interest.

Jessica Amsden is a robotics technician for E-One Moli Energy, a company that produces lithium ion batteries, the kind that recharge and have a longer life. Jessica's pretty charged herself, doing maintenance on the automated equipment used to manufacture the batteries. She also does project work, installing new equipment and doing equipment modifications. Her job activities range from simple mechanical servicing to using sophisticated software programs to troubleshoot or update equipment. A typical day would find her at the workbench or in the production area taking care of business.

Did you know? The word "robot" came from the Czech word "robota" which means forced labor.

Jessica was the first woman to ever graduate from the Robotics and Automation program at BCIT since it began in the early 80s. Her advice to other women considering this type of career is to stick with it. School is hard, but it will pay off. A robotics technologist earns between $21,710 through $62,540 annually.

SYNOPSIS:

Most of the 650,000 robots installed worldwide have been used in manufacturing. Typical applications are welding cars, spraying paint and loading and unloading machines. These robots are mainly used by the automobile and metal-manufacturing industries.

The technicians who work at E-One Moli Energy must be able to grasp a wide spectrum of technologies - from cam driven mechanical systems to X-Rays networked with Ethernet. There is also a huge array of specialized applications for robotics technicians and technologists. Basically, it's the control of motion and its properties that are common to most applications.

PERSONAL DATA:

Education: Robotics and Automation program, BCIT

Hobbies: Tennis, rock climbing and rollerblading