New Commercial Drone Rules Send Career Prospects Skyrocketing

Relaxed Federal Air Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations for drones signal booming times ahead for the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) industry. This hot new technology has already infiltrated a number of professional sectors. Initially a tool used by film production companies for gathering aerial footage, drones see frequent action anywhere a high-definition eye in the sky comes in handy--fire & rescue, civil engineering and construction, agriculture and mining, and marketing promotions.

Starting August 29, the FAA no longer requires a pilot’s license for drone operators to fly UAVs under 55 pounds, reducing the cost of entry by $10,000 per user for companies interested in drone deployment. Analysts predict a spike in usage and product development; Pricewaterhouse Cooper values the industry’s potential at $127 billion.

How will career prospects shake out?

Experts group together professional areas of focus into three sets:

• Developers and engineers that are building and programming for drones industry-specific applications;
• Flyers and buyers starting drone services companies;
• Content creators that specialize in producing aerial footage for tourism marketing, real estate, videography, and media coverage.

The sky is the limit for engineers and programmers

Robotic tech startups in California offer well over six figures for candidates with the right mix of mechanical engineering and computer science backgrounds.

Drone flying requires top-notch mobile applications for safe maneuvering and fine-tuned camera controls. The craft’s onboard mechanisms must deliver precise handling in variable weather conditions. Deployment of GPS-based guidance systems protect the drone and anyone around it in the event of human error or a system failure. Many commercial drones have autopilot features that bring it home if the pilot loses signal.

UAV manufacturers make public the SDKs and APIs by which certain models can be programmed. Take a look for yourself; Chinese commercial drone maker DJI has three SDKs--one for app development, and others for onboard controls and automated guidance.

What are the desired skill-sets?

JavaScript, C++, and Python are the dominant languages used in development. Programmers use Assembly for tuning drone hardware to respond to user commands. A combination of data science, machine learning, and raw mathematics (3D geometric algorithms, linear algebra) is best for developing the automation features.

Job titles run the gamut from standard DevOps support to ultra-specialized Computer Vision Machine Learning Engineer. Drone startups’ needs are diverse with one thing in common: they compensate handsomely.

Title: Senior DevOps Engineers Role: IT support for infrastructure used to create apps and interfaces for drone piloting Skillset: AWS, automation, database scripting, Linux administration, network security Salary: $120-$140K

Title: Application Security Engineers Role: Building and testing mobile applications for piloting drones Skillset: Python and JavaScript, SDK and API, penetration testing Salary: $130-$150K

Title: Computer Machine Learning Engineer Role: Software R&D for automated drone guidance Skillset: C++ and Python, background in AI and machine learning, wizard-level skills in geometric algorithms and linear algebra. Salary: $200-$240K

Title: Hardware Optimization Engineer Role: Software R&D for fine-controlling drone hardware and peripherals Skillset: Assembly language, C++, Python, experience with embedded systems Salary: $140-$200K

BizDev leadership opportunities

Business development and marketing positions specific to drone companies provide strong opportunities for professionals in digital communications. Drone services startups want to fill leadership roles with marketers with B2B technology lead generation experience, content strategy expertise, and knowledge of SEO/SEM for e-commerce.

Salary levels approach the top rungs for the profession. A Director of Customer Acquisition role in the Bay Area fetches six figures--commensurate with what Silicon Valley’s well-heeled SaaS companies are paying.

Final thoughts

Loosened FAA regulations make it easier to get hands-on with a commercial drone, so take advantage. Besides the standard career chops listed above, learning to fly a drone is an important step for infiltrating the lucrative field of commercial UAVs. It also looks like one of the coolest things a human can do in 2016.

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Adam Lovinus is the head crossing guard at the intersection of business and technology at HardBoiled by NeweggBusiness.