How To Become An Automation Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is an automation specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

An automation specialist is an individual who develops web-based programs that automate a company's or an organization's operating data and machinery. These individuals test the performance of operating systems and equipment, install electrical parts, and inspect equipment for issues or defects. They also design and develop systems to optimize an organization's automatic operations, perform research and analysis of current systems, and work with different departments to streamline existing systems. An automation specialist can work in a variety of fields, from robotics to computers and is also responsible for providing technical support to employees and clients.

Most automation specialists have a bachelor's degree or a certificate in engineering, automation, computers of a related field and should have experience in the automation of specific systems and machines. These individuals should possess a strong analytical, mechanical, computer, communication, and troubleshooting skills.

An automation specialist can make up to $79,000 a year, and the career field is expected to increase 10% by 2028.

ScoreAutomation SpecialistUS Average

Salary

6.1

Avg. Salary $77,750

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.41%

Asian 10.93%

Black or African American 11.29%

Hispanic or Latino 16.55%

Unknown 5.40%

White 55.41%

Gender

female 23.26%

male 76.74%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.4

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an automation specialist

Explore automation specialist education requirements

Most common automation specialist degrees

Bachelor's

54.1 %

Associate

26.2 %

Master's

7.8 %

Start to develop specific automation specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Digital Marketing	8.95%
Email Marketing	6.28%
Java	5.88%
PLC	5.04%
Salesforce	4.73%

Complete relevant automation specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New automation specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an automation specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real automation specialist resumes.

Research automation specialist duties and responsibilities

Manage a large SCADA communications replacement project.
Manage integration of data associate with critical systems into enterprise SCADA system.
Manage multiple imaging-relate projects across both radiology and cardiology service lines, both inpatient and outpatient, to completion.
Verify customer issues by running Microsoft SQL scripts on host and non host servers.

Prepare your automation specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your automation specialist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an automation specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable automation specialist resume templates

Build a professional automation specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your automation specialist resume.