Great article! And good job!
How did you get started? How did you market yourself in the beginning?
Any tips for a computer scientist with robotics background but who has been working in enterprise software for 8 years?
How did you get started? How did you market yourself in the beginning?
Any tips for a computer scientist with robotics background but who has been working in enterprise software for 8 years?
I started by doing two projects on Upwork while working a full time job, then I decided to quit without any projects lined up and was very lucky to find a long term project on Upwork before my 1 month notice period finished.
Marketing wise at the beginning it was just Upwork. Shortly after I started I tried writing technical posts for my blog (mostly related to ROS and some hardware testing/reviews). Around that time I also started Weekly Robotics newsletter (https://weeklyrobotics.com/) but so far it brought only one client onboard but it's a great way to show potential clients that I'm following what's going on in the industry.
When it comes to tips: I would suggest learning ROS - if you have experience in software it should be quite easy for you but expect some learning curve. Then I would suggest doing some projects like integrating SLAM and obstacle avoidance on a mobile robot, ideally with a physical platform.
If I were you I would treat it as a hobby in the beginning and try to have fun and if you find a niche that truly sparks your interest it might be worth specializing in it.