The current state of the drone job market

[Echo4Thirty]

I suspect a lot of companies no longer farm out this to outside pilots. I am aware of quite a few businesses that found folks already employed that had an interest in drones (or were already 107) and got them licensed and bought drones for the company.

Its such an easy thing to bring in house and to a business, the cost of a typical DJI drone is peanuts. A few even bought the Minis and dedicated them to train new pilots before they allowed them to fly the "big ones"

 

[Echo4Thirty]

I suspect a lot of companies no longer farm out this to outside pilots. I am aware of quite a few businesses that found folks already employed that had an interest in drones (or were already 107) and got them licensed and bought drones for the company.

Its such an easy thing to bring in house and to a business, the cost of a drone is peanuts to a company. A lot of them also bought minis dedicated to training before the pilots were allowed to operate the "big drone"

2) Build your "inventory" and offer more than "just" Drone services. Drone Only is the fastest way to going out of business especially in the Real Estate market. Most every "photographer" added Drone/UAS to their business card several years ago.

Bingo. I love aviation, but my drones have become just another tool in my photography toolbox. I dont have a drone business, I have a photography business that added drones to my abilities to capture stills/video.

 

[BigAl07]

I suspect a lot of companies no longer farm out this to outside pilots. I am aware of quite a few businesses that found folks already employed that had an interest in drones (or were already 107) and got them licensed and bought drones for the company.

Its such an easy thing to bring in house and to a business, the cost of a drone is peanuts to a company. A lot of them also bought minis dedicated to training before the pilots were allowed to operate the "big drone"


Bingo. I love aviation, but my drones have become just another tool in my photography toolbox. I dont have a drone business, I have a photography business that added drones to my abilities to capture stills/video.

And I'll add this, most of the time (no not all of the time) you're better off being a photographer first and adding Drone to your inventory rather than being Drone Only and trying to upscale to a genuinely photography-centric business. Being an experienced photographer will help you Leaps & Bounds in terms of "general UAS photography".

 

[Matthew_Compton]

I pointed out before on another thread that I think one should specialize in more technical drone use such as being a GIS technician who is also a UAS pilot. There are a lot of community colleges that teach classes such as that. People getting out of college with an AA, or a GIS and drone technology certificate can do rather well, but most industries expect a least a bachelors degree with it. Usually mapping goes along with knowledge of cartography and geography, or that plus experience with natural resources, archaeology, geology or engineering. I don’t think a company would hire unskilled people just to do “mapping” without at least some cartographic and GIS knowledge, and if the maps are going to be used for any kind of measurements or legal survey, one would be working with a surveyor who can certify it.

And by structure inspections, I think one would need to be an architect or engineer. Without this, how would they know what to be looking for or concentrating on with the drone? And could their work qualify for permitting or insurance purposes?

I thought about doing all this too, but decided instead of buying new drones, I entered a GIS and drone technology certificate program. You’ll find that in California, community college tuition is very inexpensive and such a deal for the quality of education you get. Check it out and look online at the colleges in your area. For those interested in such technical pathways, consider checking out edubirdie https://edubirdie.com/write-my-essay-for-me for additional insights and guidance on academic excellence. Community college programs, especially in California, offer cost-effective education, making it an attractive option for those looking to enter this dynamic field.

Specializing in a more technical drone field, like GIS, sounds like a solid plan. Community colleges are indeed a great option for practical education without breaking the bank. An AA or a GIS and drone tech certificate can open doors, but you rightly noted that some industries lean towards bachelor's degrees.

 

[BetterBizWorks]

Let me ask straight out: are there more drone operators looking for drone operation jobs than there are positions available?

I want to fly mapping missions and do structure inspections. Are those positions even available any more? Cause if those positions no longer exist I’ll save my time and quit looking.

There is plenty of low priced work out there by aggregators that just about pay fro drone maintenance. The lower end for drone services is plentiful, but it seems like many of the corporations are adding employees that are getting their part 107s and flying for the company to do mapping and surveying as part of their existing jobs. I am seeing more and more of it. Insurance companies and solar companies. I am still getting work but I'm hunting for the higher end.

 

[TonyPHX]

Oversaturated. Race to the bottom. Not consistent.

 

[wendystroper]

That's spot on! Bringing drone operations in-house seems like the trend nowadays. It makes sense, especially with the accessibility of licensing and the affordability of drones. Plus, training new pilots with smaller models is a brilliant move. It's all about efficiency and cost-effectiveness for businesses diving into drone tech.