Drones: Saving Lives and Creating Jobs

When most people first think of “drones,” their train of thought goes to big budget, Hollywood films where some special military group or agent uses some miracle machine to fly in and wipe out the enemy (or vice versa). While these mysterious drones-ex-machina have some elements of truth outside of Hollywood, there is so much more to the concept of drones.

In fact, with so many Universities now applying for Certificates of Authorization from the FAA to fly drones, the future is becoming crystal clear; drones are emerging as the job platform of tomorrow.

The project boom in the drone market is expected to be huge, similar to the overwhelming need for IT skilled professionals today. That is why so many Universities are developing and expanding on current drone programs, to prepare prospective graduates for the future. While these programs do have limitations, based on the current bans and rules enforced by the FAA, this has not stopped some Universities from obtaining their CoA’s to begin testing outside of the classroom. For example, the University of Alaska was recently granted permission by the FAA to open its own testing site at the UAF’s Research Station for Large Animals.

Several Universities are trying to play catch up with North Carolina State University and the University of North Dakota, both of which already have early an early start on UAS education in the United States.

And with the FAA’s initiative to find a suitable location to establish an Unmanned Air System Test Centers across the nation (to directly monitor and regulate the use of drones), the FAA is expected to open up requests from other Universities and States this summer.

It is clear to see just how large the demand for qualified drone engineers, designs, and pilots is going to be. This field is rapidly advancing and the upcoming demand for these drone program graduates is going to be in extremely high demand.

More and more students are looking into programs such as offered by the University of Missouri to learn how to operate these drones, as well as the potential applications of drones. The courses will also go into details that promote the understanding of the ethical and legal issues that surround the use of drones and drone technology.