RPA Developer: Udacity Nanodegree Review

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If you want to become an RPA Developer , you came to the right place. In this article, we’ll detail everything you need to know about Udacity’s RPA Developer Nanodegree.

RPA stands for “robotic process automation” and it may feel like we’re talking about something like the mechanization of factory work, but it’s actually about the use of digital robots (bots).

RPA eliminates tedious tasks, freeing workers for higher-value jobs. This is an emerging practice used to streamline company operations and reduce costs. Typically, the bots used in RPA are low-cost and easy to implement, requiring no custom software or deep system integration.

Companies like Walmart, Deutsche Bank, AT&T, Ernst & Young, Walgreens and American Express Global Business Travel already use RPA. If you also want to get on this boat, stay with us until the end.

Becoming an RPA Developer on Udacity

We’ve written a full review of Udacity, but if you arrived at this page without going through the aforementioned article, we’ll highlight here some relevant points about the platform.

Udacity was created by two Stanford professors Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig. Initially, they put together an “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence” and offered it online for free.

Currently, it is recognized for offering online technology courses in partnership with large institutions such as Facebook, Google, Hootsuite, AWS, Mercedes-Benz, among others. Through its Nanodegrees, Udacity offers specializations in areas such as:

Nanodegrees last from 3 to 6 months and provide relevant opportunities for your students to achieve real results through projects, case studies, self-paced learning and the help of mentors.

Udacity’s learning model is unique and has a high degree of engagement with its students. Udacity accompanies its students at every stage of the learning journey.

What is the Udacity Digital Marketing Nanodegree?

The Udacity RPA Developer Nanodegree was designed to help you gain professional-level skills focused on developing and deploying software robots. This Nanodegree will teach you the basics of RPA and how to use the UiPath RPA software platform to automate business processes. Throughout the course, you will also have the opportunity to learn and update basic programming skills.

The program was built in collaboration with UIPath, a leading Robotic Process Automation vendor.

A prerequisite for this course is a basic familiarity with Microsoft applications, an understanding of data manipulation, and previous knowledge of basic logical sequence flows (like Visio). In addition, students may benefit from having proficiency in a programming language and scripting in programming. As well as, an understanding of the .NET framework.

Usually, students that enroll in this RPA Nanodegree take 4 months to complete it. After completion, you’ll have learned exactly the skills you need to succeed in the field.

Since there are no specific admission criteria, you don’t need to apply to get in. All students are accepted into the program regardless of their previous experience or particular background.

If you want to build a career in RPA development and want to learn the right skills to build the operational processes that enable the businesses of the future, then this program is right for you.

What will you learn in Udacity RPA Developer Nanodegree?

The RPA Developer Nanodegree is segmented into courses addressing different and important fields of knowledge. Below you’ll find everything you’ll learn in this program:

Intro to RPA with UiPath

You will learn about Robotic Process Automation using UiPath. This course will cover how to use UiPath Studio (an automation design canvas) to develop automation solutions. First, you’ll get a thorough examination of Studio and how to program the robot to simulate actions. You’ll find out how data is stored and passed between applications and actions while learning the logical execution flow of the actions. Ultimately, you’ll learn about selectors, which are core to the user interface identification and automation and how the robots use them to work within UI applications to identify where to enter or extract data and actions.

At the end of this module, you’ll carry out a project to test the knowledge acquired throughout the course.

Project 1: Sorting Annual Reports

You’ll need to organize several annual reports of a company. To do this, you must create automation so that you can perform the task by clicking just one button. The simulation will be done with reports stored on a website and, from them, you will have to create an automation process to organize them by their names.

UiPath Advanced Automation Techniques and Design

You will learn more advanced automation techniques to apply to software, web applications, and more. This module covers extracting, manipulating and inserting data into Excel and PDF documents and saving in Studio to teach you how to build automation projects quickly. In addition, you’ll learn debugging techniques to ensure your code is error-free and runs end-to-end. And finally, you’ll get to know UiPath Orchestrator, a web-based management tool for managing your projects and using developer functionality to make them scalable and robust.

At the end of this module, you’ll carry out a project to test the knowledge acquired throughout the course.

Project 2: Invoice Scraping

You will build automation that will extract data and then process invoices. Your robot will interpret emails and download incoming invoices attached to them. It will extract specific data and store those values in an Excel spreadsheet and a subset of the values will be uploaded into the Orchestrator Queue. When the process is finished, the robot will email the spreadsheet to you.

RPA Team Best Practices

Learn to handle unexpected challenges by applying consistent and successful methods. First, you will understand how to identify and address common challenges with RPA projects. You will then learn best practices for designing solutions and having clean, organized design solutions. You’ll learn the most important aspects of ensuring well-written code in Studio. Next, a more advanced topic, the Robotic Enterprise Framework, will be presented for application in production-level projects. Lastly, you’ll get a clear view of how RPA teams work together, how automation is an end-to-end process, and how it relates to AI and other technologies.

At the end of this module, you’ll carry out two projects to test the knowledge acquired throughout the course.

Project 3: RPA Code Review

In this exercise, you will simulate that the RPA developer is leading the project. It will be your job to complete the DSD when development and testing is complete for transfer to the COE. This project will be important to simulate real teamwork situations. As an RPA developer, you will often be called upon to review the work of others, this practice is commonplace before completing the end-to-end automation solution.

Capstone Project: Personal Use Automation

You will apply the skills you have learned throughout this RPA Developer Nanodegree to build automation of a process in your professional or personal life. The idea is to develop a process that is impactful and a good use case for your portfolio, it will have to be a process that interacts with multiple applications, contains data manipulation, handles errors and exceptions, and has good design and reusable components. First, you will fill out all the necessary steps of the process and any requirements in the Process Definition Document (PDD). Then, you will use UiPath Studio to design and build the automated solution. Finally, you will create the resulting Development Specifications Document (DSD) presenting your solution and any dependencies needed to make it work.

Visit the RPA Developer Nanodegree page »>

Who are the instructors in the RPA Developer Nanodegree?

Instructors have a super important role in the structure of a course. It is crucial that they have good teaching skills, mastery of the subject, and a great ability to communicate.

Below, we will explore who will be teaching you in this RPA Developer Nanodegree.

Kristina Kaldon

Kristina Kaldon has an impeccable resume. Before becoming a Senior Program Manager - her current role - at UiPath, she was an RPA Developer for over a year, and Program Manager for almost 2 years. She also worked as a Research and Teaching Assistant at Penn State University, and as a Software Developer at Abarca Health.

In addition to a solid professional trajectory, she has a robust academic background. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Physics from Penn State University and studied Aeronautical, Aerospace and Astronautical Engineering at MIT.

Niyaz Ahmed

Niyaz Ahmed is a Uipath Certified Advanced RPA Developer and has also an ITIL® Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management (ITIL 4 Edition). He is a Bachelor of Engineering - BEComputer Software Engineering from SIES Graduate School Of Technology.

In addition to a solid academic background, he’s been working at UiPath since 2019. Before being a Program Manager responsible for Learning Alliances and Certification, he worked as a technical consultant and technical trainer.

RPA Developer Nanodegree Pricing

The RPA Developer Nanodegree, like other Udacity programs, has two different forms of payment.

If you are disciplined and believe that you will be able to complete the Nanodegree in 4 months (which is the average time to complete this program) you can choose to pay for those 4 months at once. The advantage is that there is an extra 15% discount. If you need more time, you can switch to the monthly plan after the end of the 4 months.

The other form of payment is the Pay as you go plan. This way, you will be making monthly payments until you complete the course. You can cancel it anytime!

It is important to mention that Udacity has been offering relevant promotional codes lately. At this point, you can buy the program at a 50% discount (discount applied to the prices below).

Learn more about this opportunity »>

As Udacity charges in local currencies, below are the prices applied in each country:

USA

4-month access: $1356 Pay as you go: $399 per month

India

4-month access: ₹77676 Pay as you go: ₹22849 per month

Brazil

4-month access: R$5556 Pay as you go: R$1629 per month

Canada

3-month access: C$1796 Pay as you go: C$529

United Kingdom

3-month access: £1116 Pay as you go: £329 per month

View the price in your country »>

Extra Program Offerings

In addition to what has already been shown, the program offers additional services such as:

Class content

At the end of each course, students get access to real-world projects that test student knowledge and help them absorb it better.

These projects are reviewed by experienced mentors, who contribute with personalized feedback, additional suggested resources, practical tips, and industry best practices.

Student Services

Udacity offers a Community for its students. This community is a network of students and alumni from around the world.

It allows communication with your classmates, mentors, and Udacity staff in your community channels. These channels are used to freely ask and answer questions; to share advice, adversity, accomplishments, and to feel connected.

Career Services

Besides providing in-depth content and a community, the Udacity team will review your resume and provide feedback for improvements. They also offer a guide on writing a targeted résumé for your dream job.

Learn more about their interview prep program »>

RPA Developer Nanodegree: Is it worth it?

Increasingly, businesses are looking to use RPA to free employees from doing routine, repetitive tasks to focus on more strategic work. That’s why RPA is the fastest growing segment of the enterprise software market.

The RPA Developer Nanodegree program was designed with UiPath, a company that stands out in this field, to train professionals capable of guiding companies in the adoption of RPA tools and best practices.

Students in this Nanodegree will learn the skills needed to implement automation processes specific to the most commonly used applications such as Excel, email and PDF files. The course will familiarize you with the UiPath platform to implement RPA best practices and the most advanced automation processes on the market. By becoming an RPA Developer today, you’ll have the skills businesses need, driving increased productivity and savings.

This is a field that will continue to expand and the sooner you enter this market, the greater your competitive advantage.