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Robotics Engineer
Companies are hiring robotics engineers to develop automated vacuum cleaners and robot dogs (no scooping required). "You can have so much fun because you can design things you want personally," says Selma Slipichevich, 31, senior mechanical engineer at iRobot in Somerville, Mass. She helped develop a robot with a video-cam, on sale next year for $5,000. Parents can control the 'bot from any Internet-ready computer, steering it around the house to see if the kids stapled the baby-sitter to the couch. In the pipeline: robots that do heart surgery and retrieve land mines.
Training
Bachelor of science in engineering (mechanical, electrical, or software) and classes in artificial intelligence or robotic design. You know that geeky kid who built toy robots? She's got the edge.