The job market for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) is taking off, opening new career paths for cleared veterans interested in drone operator jobs and in associated positions.
Drones make for a strange mashup of commercial and defense applications. They promise transformative capabilities in business and public service, potentially altering everything from package delivery to photo services, the ways crops are treated and methods law enforcement use to conduct search and rescue missions. The list will likely get longer. In defense, drones offer a new kind of stealth and limitless above-ground travel, from supply delivery on the front lines to strike delivery in combat. For all those reasons, drones are projected to have a major impact on the job market, opening previously nonexistent cleared careers for drone operators, instructors, engineers, researchers and more. For cleared job seekers, drones are a gold mine.
Getting a degree in drone operations
Only two years ago, the University of North Dakota presented its first graduating class of students with UAS degrees. The university was the first in the nation to offer the new curriculum.
“Unmanned aircraft are having a profound impact on aerospace,” said Bruce Smith, dean of the University of North Dakota’s John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. “We’re on the leading edge of UAS development. We now have 134 students signed up as majors.”
According to the university, UAS majors aren’t having any trouble finding jobs as drone operators. The interest is coming from federal agencies, defense contractors, law enforcement agencies and commercial businesses.
The issue of airspace for drones is still evolving, and new FAA regulations are likely to be released in the coming year. But industry experts project that the career field is about to boom, opening up thousands of new positions for drone operators. Cleared veterans interested in becoming drone operators should understand that current requirements demand considerable training; a pilot’s license and a four-year college degree with a major in UAS.
“The challenge for those coming out of the military is that you’re flying aircraft so you have to be a commercial pilot,” said Al Palmer, Director, University of North Dakota Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research, Education and Training. “A security clearance is helpful. But you still have to be trained in flight.”
Prior to 2009, there was no drone curriculum. The UND program, built on the school’s commercial aviation program, includes coursework in unmanned aircraft, unmanned ground systems, unmanned communications and telemetry, and remote sensing. It also covers aviation safety, crew management and related drone operations.
Training for drone operators is ground-based. Due to regulations, the FAA has not yet opened the skies to teaching programs, so training is provided through simulation, textbooks and the classroom. Because a drone is classified as an aircraft, if the aircraft is issued an airworthiness certificate, the FAA also requires drone operators to have a pilot certificate.
Since the UND program was launched, other schools have come on board, including Kansas State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. In addition to bachelor’s degrees, students can now earn master’s degrees in UAS engineering.
Job Opportunities in UAS
Despite the fact that the drone industry is still in its infancy, aerospace companies like General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, L-3 Communications, Boeing and Raytheon are hiring UAS trained drone operators. New roles also include instructors, systems repairers, software engineers and software specialists.
According to the FAA, the commercial sector is projected to have some 7,500 drones up and flying within the next five years. To set the stage and establish safety rules and regulations, the FAA dedicated the first drone test sites in Alaska, Nevada, New York, Texas, Virginia and North Dakota.
So far, the FAA has certified more than 600 public-sector entities to fly drones, the majority of which are law enforcement agencies and universities. In the defense sector, the current population of drone-pilot jobs is predominantly in military contractors overseas. Domestically, unmanned aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS) are flying under highly controlled conditions, authorized by the Department of Homeland Security to conduct border and port surveillance, as well as research and environmental monitoring on behalf of NASA and NOAA and other government agencies.
Given the fact that the drone industry is still emerging, experience doesn’t factor in with hiring managers. Getting the job comes down to the training. As for salaries, drone operators earn between $85,000 and $115,000, with most averaging starting salaries of $104,000.
When it comes to landing these jobs, cleared veterans will find themselves at the center of hiring managers’ attention. Many of the technologies involved with UAS fall under International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which requires proof of U.S. citizenship. And since most of the current positions and many of those coming down the line will be government-based and defense contractor-based, cleared veterans with UAS degrees will have a definite edge.
