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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: 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.