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from the prospective-drone-pilots-are-looking-up dept.
Hot-air balloon pilot Richard Varney typically spends his weekends transporting tourists around central Massachusetts in a huge, multicolored balloon. But on a recent Sunday, Varney drove to a local community college and learned to fly a different type of aerial vehicle. "I want to try something new," he said as he watched an instructor demonstrate how to steer a $2,000 drone equipped with a camera. "This could help me launch a side business taking aerial photos of local towns."
Varney isn't the only one betting on this as a new vocation. At least 15 community colleges across the country now have courses that teach people how to pilot drones, according to research conducted by MIT Technology Review. The trend accelerated over the past year, after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a rule that requires people who operate drones commercially to take a test and get certified as "remote pilots."
Some four-year colleges and private companies are also training people to be drone pilots, but the community-college programs are particularly interesting because they attract diverse types of students, including adults looking to change careers. In fact, many community colleges offer drone classes through their "workforce development" and "workforce solutions" departments, which are designed to impart practical skills that people can apply immediately to their jobs or use to get new jobs, rather than conferring credits toward a college degree.
No career prospects for drone pilots in private detective agencies or reality pr0n either?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday October 05 2017, @08:03PM (20 children)
Colleges are marketing classes with zero career prospects except possibly teaching the same class you just took? Say it ain't so!
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 05 2017, @08:40PM (4 children)
If you try to do so, you'll just get tyranny.
Let The People make their own choices about whether or not this is a good investment; there's only one problem: Governments have made it very easy to get loans for underwater basket weaving, and other courses like this. That allows people to get into debt without realizing it in advance, because they think they're tapping into something virtuous by affiliation with the State's approval.
There needs to be a Separation of Schooling and State.
More generally, there needs to be a Separation of Economics and State; if there must be a government, then its role should be to facilitate voluntary interaction between individuals, not impose any particular allocation of resources.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday October 05 2017, @08:52PM (3 children)
Oh, sure. I was just mourning the failure of The People to be able to tell shit from shinola best two out of three.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by http on Thursday October 05 2017, @09:46PM (2 children)
It's almost like some people are interested in things that don't have purely commercial utility. Or even maybe no commercial utility.
How dare they.
I browse at -1 when I have mod points. It's unsettling.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 05 2017, @09:49PM
Isn't that the other AC's point? People will pursue anything they want if somebody else is paying, and that leads to a misappropriation of resources.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday October 05 2017, @10:47PM
Oh that's all fine and good if, like AC above implied, they're the ones paying. I know plenty of things that aren't worth a nickle. I didn't demand that you pay for me to learn them though; I learned them on my own time and on my own dime.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Thursday October 05 2017, @08:56PM (6 children)
Face it, there is no chance of teaching the course - every other student who passes will also be lining up.
Colleges (companies, generally) see a potential market and try and make money from it.
This is how companies (try and) make money.
Useless college qualifications have been around a very long time..almost as long as jokes about arts degrees and fries.
The title could be changed to "Colleges are marketing courses, but career opportunities are murky" and be just as true. The drone part just makes these courses more expensive (for the student).
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 05 2017, @09:36PM (2 children)
Not really. A book keeping or business administration course along with a basic vocational course could make someone invaluable to small business.
The only advantage I see to drone flying courses would be if someone lacks the discipline to do it themselves or is surrounded by problem people who will interfere unless an activity is done in an "official" capacity. The best drone pilots build their own and race them while many event photographers and videographers now carry small drones. It's not really a field unto itself.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday October 05 2017, @10:49PM
I think he was speaking more of the less than practically useful anywhere, ever courses. Like, say, Gender Studies courses.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by tibman on Friday October 06 2017, @02:36AM
Local colleges are great for dabbling in stuff. They'll teach you about welding, hiking, 3d design (and 3d printing), carpentry and so on. Weekend after this i start a series of classes at the fire station to learn amateur radio. Only 10$ for five saturday mornings of training. My wife has taken a sign language course and a motorcycle course from the local college.
It's not about lack of motivation in a lot of cases. If you want to try out 3d printing but don't want to drop $500-2000 on hardware then you might need to join a hackerspace or academic organization.
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 05 2017, @09:53PM (2 children)
Think about it.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Thursday October 05 2017, @10:43PM (1 child)
Try and not let the door hit you as you leave
Try and not lose
Try and you might win the English-should-be-spoken-my-way-as-the-only-correct-way award
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 05 2017, @10:48PM
TRY WHAT?!
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 05 2017, @09:17PM (6 children)
Aww bullcrap, there are plenty of college majors that translate into careers just fine. Perhaps not the exact career you wanted, but philosophy majors apparently do pretty well. English majors have a massive market for their skills.
Basically getting a college degree is just a verification that you have a reasonably functional brain and can handle a decent stress/workload. Some degrees have more directly applicable programs to your future career, but often people move around in different fields.
Sure there are plenty of students getting saddled with debt for a degree they'll never use or much benefit from career wise, but it doesn't make it a complete waste of time. At a minimum those students got some personal development out of it. I won't bother explaining non-profit motives since that will likely be a waste of time with you.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 05 2017, @10:51PM (1 child)
Why should society pay as much to create a theoretical physicist as it does to create a person who has read books and written about patriarchal phallic symbolism?
Money is a signal that correlates both a society's supply of a resource, and society's demand of that resource. The signal has been totally fucked up.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 05 2017, @11:14PM
You give yourself away you triggered little misogynist.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday October 05 2017, @11:00PM (3 children)
Of course. They're highly trained bullshit artists. I would never even dream of suggesting that bullshitting isn't in demand and shouldn't pay well.
So does a four year work history with good references. And you get paid to get one of those instead of having to shell out your own cash or go into massive debt.
As for non-profit motives, I've nothing against them. I mean I just learned to play Blitzkrieg Bop on the guitar and there's very little commercial demand for that unless you're a Ramone. I just object to the bastards with no motive but profit (colleges and loan companies) preying on stupid adulting noobs and not giving anything useful in return. Not legally, ethically and morally.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 05 2017, @11:25PM (2 children)
As I've said many times, go get a real education you mangy bird. Philosophy is way more than the art of bullshitting, it is actually quite the reverse. You're just too ignorant to comprehend so you apply your personal flawed world view to reality.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday October 05 2017, @11:29PM (1 child)
Do try and keep up with the pop culture references, please. I don't want to waste a key on a *whoosh* macro.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 06 2017, @12:13AM
I think you're gonna need to upgrade to a steam cleaner for all the irony you're dishing out today.
(Score: 2) by forkazoo on Friday October 06 2017, @12:34AM
Are you suggesting my Philosophy of The Simpsons class doesn't have good career prospects? Hmmm... Actually, now that I think about it, the question probably applies to the entire Philosophy department.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 05 2017, @08:07PM (2 children)
Do they also offer diplomas in how to make and throw paper airplanes or tying your own shoelaces? How about how to zip your pants and fasten your belt or is that one considered a symbol of "White Supremacy"?
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday October 06 2017, @10:03AM
Diplomas, no.
But I bet they'll be happy to give you, at the end of the course, a certificate of attendance and... umm... yes, competence is the word.
And they'll offer you a discount if you take both of the courses, perhaps even 10% - it'll be only $9000 instead of 2 x $5000.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday October 06 2017, @05:40PM
The regulations and liability ramifications of paper airplanes and self-shoelace tying are much less than in the drone space.
Now, if you wanted to start a business tying other peoples' shoelaces, that might warrant a training course or perhaps even a state license....
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Informative) by aristarchus on Thursday October 05 2017, @08:20PM (2 children)
Is the "Digital Gardening" boom over, then? https://schitte.github.io/DigitalGardening/ [github.io]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For-Profit_Online_University [wikipedia.org]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQLdhVpLBVE [youtube.com]
(Score: 1) by rylyeh on Thursday October 05 2017, @10:42PM
Hilaaarious! Nice one!
"a vast crenulate shell wherein rode the grey and awful form of primal Nodens, Lord of the Great Abyss."
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday October 06 2017, @05:43PM
I assume this is different from robot gardening:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rorymackean/tertill-the-solar-powered-weeding-robot-for-home-g [kickstarter.com]
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 05 2017, @08:39PM (1 child)
There is a career right there. Bird shot might work better.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Thursday October 05 2017, @08:47PM
So, a more complicated version of clay pigeon shooting?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Thursday October 05 2017, @09:27PM (1 child)
When drones start appearing in the wild, it would seem that the FAA would need a couple-order-of-magnitude complexity change in its approach to traffic control infrastructure and support tools. That seems like a problem people could sink their teeth into.
(Score: 2) by edIII on Friday October 06 2017, @02:08AM
Machine AI will end up doing it better. It will be something that doesn't sleep, cannot get tired, and will be as functional in minute 100,000 as minute 1. I'm not worried about it screwing up since it seems that the nature of Machine AI is that each is just a little bit unique. It depends on its training sets, experience, feedback, etc. Since they can easily multi-task much better than a human, there will not be an action taken without multiple units requiring consensus.
Air Traffic control will not be for safety purposes, but bureaucracy. There is already swarm AI, and the AI in contemporary flight systems is itself about avoiding collisions, staying on course, and/or hovering in place. It's entirely possible that in congested flight paths that the drones will work it out by themselves. Distributed information when entering an area where flight paths cross, or hubs. If the flight paths are all going to be registered online with the government, then that means the air traffic control is really making sure that none of the flight plans result in collisions. The drone is fine before it even starts out. Layer on methods to avoid collisions and reduce congestion.
Human drone operators? I give it 10 years before manual drone operation is all but outlawed for anything but line of sight with kiddie toys. Making a living off it? LOL. I don't think the big boys are imagining tens of thousands of workers, but are instead imagining their investments, acquisitions, and research projects pay off and obviate the need for most workers.
The Air Force didn't need pilots after Skynet operated with a perfect record remember? :)
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 06 2017, @12:19AM (1 child)
So, it's just like all the other fields.
Outsourced, automated, falling out of fashion, all 3, etc.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday October 06 2017, @10:11AM
Yeah, well, there's still a chance.
Perhaps buying a Chinese long-range remote-controlled drone and paying a pittance to the pilot turns a better bottom line that licensing the use of an AI delivery drone.
Of course the pilot will work 10 drones in the same time - would s/he prefer to be overworked or to not have a job at all?
I mean... how's your friendly pizza shop in the neighbourhood going to survive?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by looorg on Friday October 06 2017, @12:38AM
Why not just go down to the enlistment office and apply for a job in the Air Force? Instead of paying for a class they'll pay you to learn it, and you might also get to blow some shit up one day. After X years you can if there is one transition back to civilian drone flight. One just have to remember that the Amazon drone doesn't come with Hellfire missiles. Plus I would assume that Amazon etc are going to try and fly all their drones with AI so it will be yet another job where the robots are taking human jobs.