The Drone Careers of the Future

Drones are expected to become a 100 billion dollar marketplace by 2020. ~ Goldman Sachs

The Path of Greatness

It’s hard to deny it — from their humble beginnings, drones have expl oded into the market, delivering safer, cheaper and more efficient alternatives to jobs across the board, advancing and improving everything from farming and real estate to even the wildfires that rage each summer. There’s no other way to put it — UAVs make our lives easier. They’re lighter on our pocketbooks and easier on the environment, but more than anything, drones offer us something our students need: opportunity.

There is no limit to the impact drones have on the careers of the future. With exponential growth over the years, we’ve only really reached the crest of the first foothill — Drone Everest still lays before us. As UAVs continue to innovate the marketplace, growing and streamlining different job sectors, there’s no limit to what they can do. But, with all of the new career opportunities drones are already providing today, we’re already running into an issue — there aren’t enough qualified employees to meet the increased demand. To be successful in the evolving marketplace, today’s students need to be drone-savvy.

So, what are the drone careers of the future?

Well, that’s the thing. With how quickly and extensively the marketplace is expanding, you can’t pinpoint all the possibilities.

Currently, drones are an organic beast, evolving and changing into any shape of peg they need for any hole — they are limitless.

They will continue to innovate, they will continue to change and they will continue to provide today’s students with unlimited opportunities in the future... as long as learners have the right tools to make the best of the uncharted waters in front of them. Which is why PCS Edventures developed Discover Drones, an educator’s one-stop-shop for effective drone curriculum implementation in the classroom.

From building the drone from the ground up to becoming a skilled pilot through online and eventual first-person flight training, Discover Drones is a self-contained unit, bringing plug-and-play functionality and hands-on drone education to students across the nation. Just like typing classes, woodworking and auto shop, by introducing students to the potential of drones early-on in their learning career, you’re setting them up for future success in the evolving marketplace.

According to a 2013 report from the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, as many as 100,000 new jobs will be created in the first ten years after unmanned aircraft are cleared for takeoff in U.S. airspace.

The Role of Education

Apart from Lewis and Clark-ing across the untouched drone space, currently, UAVs are doing incredible things and bringing with them incredible opportunities. “The University of North Dakota, which started its bachelor's degree course in unmanned aircraft systems in 2008, recently received a $25 million endowment (it's largest ever) to build a new drone research and training facility (Rooney).” And they’re not the only program looking to prepare their students for the new world ahead of us.

The Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative, a nonprofit that helps 21 school districts in southeastern Kentucky improve their education systems, is hoping to take its aerospace program to the next level by building an estimated $25 million drone-testing site in Hazard, Kentucky, to help scientists and entrepreneurs hone their drone-related inventions and to prepare students for jobs in the emerging industry (Nix).

Not only are drones making an impact in the commercial and domestic sector, they’re also soaring into classrooms and universities across the nation as educators realize the potential of teaching STEM through a multi-platform aerial robotics program. For the inside scoop on an educator's first-hand experience introducing drones to the classroom, check out our interview:Brandi Milliron: My Journey to Discover Drones.

Some of the earliest schools to sit in the drone jet stream now boast incredible, fully accredited degrees in Unmanned Aerial Systems, schools like:

• Oklahoma State University
• Kansas State Polytechnic University
• North Dakota University
• Indiana State University
• Troy University

For a more complete look at drones in higher education, check out our article, Drones Go to College.

But, drones have also found their way into earlier education. To discover the best drone for your classroom, check out The Best Drone for STEM Education blog.

Careers of Today

While we can’t list the future jobs drones will create, we can list the opportunities that already exist. These are just some of the incredible jobs and industry evolutions drones are already bringing to those sectors ready to make the most of them.

Inspections

From real estate to agriculture, drones are turning that $2,500 an hour helicopter fee into an afternoon of unmanned aerial flight.

Cinematography

As Jakob Schiller says, “Kalle Ljung’s Antarctica video looks like it was filmed with a helicopter and wildly expensive gyro-stabilized camera. But the photographer used a consumer drone and GoPro to create a majestic piece of cinematography that makes you see the Antarctic anew.”

Construction

“For builders, the case for return on investment is straightforward. Drones are cheaper to fly than manned aircraft and faster than human surveyors, and they collect data far more frequently than either, letting construction workers track a site’s progress with a degree of accuracy previously unknown in the industry. With the right computing tools, builders can turn sensor data into 3D structural models, topographical maps, and volumetric measurements (useful for monitoring stockpiles of costly resources like sand and gravel). Collectively, that intelligence allows construction companies to more efficiently deploy resources around a job site, minimize potential issues, trim costs, and limit delays" (Dillow).

Fire

Delivery

From automated deliveries to pilots transporting valuable medical supplies to hard-to-reach areas, drone delivery will soon become a normal sight. As these delivery advancements continue to arrive, today’s students will be the ones building the programs, flying the UAVs and delivering the goods.

Your Piece of the Puzzle

So, what do all of these new opportunities and career innovations mean? One thing — today’s students need to be prepared for the possibilities of tomorrow. As an educator, it’s your job to make sure that you’ve instilled in them the right tools to chip away at their own little section of the limitless market.

For more information on how to get drones into the hands of your students, check out PCS Edventures’ flagship learning solution, Discover Drones.

Looking to bring drones to your classroom? Find out how with
The 6 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting UAV Immersion

References

Dillow, C. (2016, September 14). The Construction Industry Is in Love with Drones. Retrieved August 31, 2017, from http://fortune.com/2016/09/13/commercial-drone-construction-industry/

Dronethusiast. (2017, January 23). 16 Top Drone Programs at Universities and Colleges. Retrieved August 31, 2017, from https://www.dronethusiast.com/top-universities-unmanned-aerial-system-programs/

Goldman Sachs. (n.d.). Drones: Reporting for Work. Retrieved August 31, 2017, from http://www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinking/technology-driving-innovation/drones/

Nix, N. (2017, August 18). The Value of Bringing Drones to the Classroom. Retrieved August 31, 2017, from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/08/the-value-of-bringing-drones-to-the-classroom/537150/

Rooney, B. (n.d.). Drone pilot wanted: Starting salary $100,000. Retrieved August 31, 2017, from http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/25/news/drone-pilot-degree/index.html

Schiller, J. (2017, June 03). Get Lost in This Stunning Drone Footage From Antarctica. Retrieved August 31, 2017, from https://www.wired.com/2015/05/kalle-ljung-drone-footage-antarctica/

Tucker, P. (2017, August 28). Look for Military Drones to Begin Replacing Police Helicopters by 2025. Retrieved August 31, 2017, from http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2017/08/look-military-drones-replace-police-helicopters-2025/140588/?oref=defenseone_today_nl