When you hear someone say “automation anywhere,” you might think they’re simply talking about life in 2019. I mean, think about it. We get an automated message from our dentists reminding us we have an appointment on Tuesday. We click on something on a website and a chatbot appears offering to help. The thermostats in our homes automatically adjust to warm the house by the time we return from work. Automation has become so integrated into our daily lives that we rarely think about it and often don’t recognize it when it’s happening.  

But—as liberating as these examples are—these scenarios are not what we mean when we say automation anywhere. Instead, we are talking about Automation Anywhere (notice now the words are capitalized this time!), a company that develops Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software. And it’s a software you need to know if you’re considering a career in RPA.

Wait. I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s take a step back and first talk about this idea of “automation anywhere” before we talk about a software that enables it.

RPA as a Means to Automation Anywhere

You’ve no doubt heard of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and you’ve possibly heard of subsets of AI like Machine Learning and Deep Learning. And when you think of automation, you might think first of AI. But AI is about software mimicking human intelligence while RPA is about software mimicking human actions—usually repetitive actions like typing an email or doing other clerical type tasks. You can wipe that image of robots in a manufacturing plant out of your mind. RPA is going to help take over menial tasks that are office related. By the end of 2018, Forrester had predicted RPA will have replaced or supplemented 311,000 office jobs and 260,000 sales-related jobs.

Although it lacks the glamour (and implied threat) of AI, RPA can automate many repetitive, rule-based tasks from our human tasks lists. RPA can automate routine processes like handling data, sorting through applications, processing transactions, and even replying to emails. RPA can even automate the repetitive tasks of people higher up the hierarchy: It turns out up to 45 percent of the activities we do can be automated, including the work of CEOs. 

RPA is similar to AI in one significant way, however: it’s creating new jobs while altering existing jobs. McKinsey reports that less than 5 percent of jobs can be totally automated, but around 60 percent can be partially automated, and RPA will play a huge role in that automation. And those numbers, my friend, mean jobs because organizations will need people trained in RPA to make it all happen.

A Powerful RPA Tool: Automation Anywhere

Once you start learning about RPA and how it will take over menial tasks, you might realize the huge need for skilled professionals trained in RPA—and the potential career opportunities of being one of those professionals. And then you might decide it’s time to learn some tools—and that you don’t know where to focus your efforts when you’re just starting out. 

To make it easy on yourself, start with Automation Anywhere. Automation Anywhere is the world’s largest software provider of RPA. Forrester even named Automation Anywhere a leader in the field. 

Automation Anywhere offers an enterprise-grade RPA already used by more than 1,000 companies worldwide. These organizations use the platform to manage and scale their business processes faster, to dramatically reduce operational costs. Automation Anywhere bots can automate invoices, purchase orders, insurance claims, tax forms, contracts, loan applications, and much more. Automation Anywhere also offers a Bot Farm for the industry’s first RPA-as-a-service that lets organizations scale on demand, and a Bot Store where you can find “Digital Workers,” meaning RPA solutions for specific jobs such as Digital Account Payables Clerk and Digital Talent Acquisition Specialist. 

Getting Started in RPA with Automation Anywhere

More and more companies are turning to RPA to eliminate tedious tasks, reduce costs, and enable employees to focus on higher-value tasks. As a result, the number for RPA jobs and related programs are also increasing. 

To learn Automation Anywhere specifically, the Automation Testing Masters Program will familiarize you with the Automation Anywhere Enterprise platform, architecture, components, specifications and functionality. With this course, you’ll learn how to create and automate RPA bots, apply RPA in real-world scenarios, and understand the importance of RPA in the broader technology landscape.

Jobs are going away as AI and RPA grow in sophistication and adaption. But these technologies are also creating jobs, and pursuing an RPA career is a smart move for any IT professional who wants to future-proof their career, upskill to stay relevant, and be an indispensable part of the new world of automation everywhere—by learning Automation Anywhere.