Next up in our “Ask Drone Girl” series is about UAS certificates with an MFA. If you have a question for Drone Girl, contact her here.
Dear Ms. Drone (French),
I am 68 years old, with a BFA and an MFA. I was forced into retirement and am thinking of getting a UAV certificate. I do not think I have the resources and energy to invest in a four-year bachelor’s degree.
Google returned institutions like Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Kansas State University and University of North Dakota as having the best job placement track records. Can you provide a fair assessment?
Thanks for your question. You can absolutely call me Ms. Drone. I love it! ANYWAY, welcome to the drone world. This industry definitely has a place for experienced, creative people, and — with a BFA and MFA — you fit the bill for being able to do aerial photography and videography work.
But before you invest time and money in a certificate program, I want to ask you something: what kind of drone work are you actually hoping to do?
To save you potentially a lot of money and time, I want you to know that many commercial drone gigs don’t require a university certificate at all. What you DO need is an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. That’s the government-issued license that legally allows you to fly drones for commercial purposes. Getting one requires you pass an in-person knowledge test, but you can simply prepare for it with an online course in a matter of weeks.
To be clear, ERAU, K-State, and UND are all legitimate institutions with very strong aviation programs. Students pursuing careers in manned aviation, aerospace engineering, or high-level UAS program management for government or enterprise clients should absolutely enroll.
I guess my question for you is how you intend to use drones. If your goal is freelance aerial photography, real estate drone work, event coverage, or similar creative commercial work, a four-year university certificate is overkill. You’re budget-focused and time-limited (as am I), and I feel like university programs like those are significantly more expensive than what you need to get started.
So let me ask: what does your ideal drone gig actually look like? Because if it’s creative work — aerial photography, videography, that kind of thing — your BFA and MFA are already a bigger differentiator than any certificate program. I’m guessing you know composition, light, and visual storytelling very well, which gives you a leg up in landing gigs.
Here’s what I’d suggest as a starting point:
- Get your Part 107 first. I put together a guide of all sorts of online Part 107 study courses. I also have discounts with a few of them. For example, this custom Drone Pilot Ground School link will bring your price down to under $200 (it’s an $100 discount, auto-applied at checkout). It’s the course I used to pass my own exam, by the way! Once you have your Part 107 in hand, you’re legally cleared to take paid work and you can start building a portfolio and finding clients.
- Either before or after that, it’s time to buy a drone!
- From there, it’s time to launch your drone photography business (I’ll assume that’s your goal given your MFA!). That means starting to put together a portfolio, website and perhaps a social media presence.
- Network with local real estate agents, wedding planners, etc to find gigs!
- Or, seek out gigs online! FlyGuys is a nationwide marketplace that connects FAA-certified pilots with enterprise clients across construction, energy, insurance, and more. Once you have your Part 107, you can apply to join their pilot network and get matched with jobs in your area. Freelancer marketplaces like Upwork are also worth exploring.
If after getting your Part 107 you find yourself wanting more formal education — specifically for UAS program management, safety, or government/enterprise applications — then revisiting a certificate program makes more sense. But I’d spend the $200 and a few weeks studying before committing to a program that could cost thousands.
Happy flying!
The post Do you need a UAS certificate to work in drones? Sometimes, no. appeared first on The Drone Girl.