Also called: Ag Drone Pilot
Uses heavy-lift drones to spray crops with fertilizer or pesticide.
At sunrise you fill tanks, launch a drone the size of a coffee table, and let it fly precise rows over a field while you watch from a truck. A busy season can be long days and good money.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 0 years after high school. FAA Part 107 plus Part 137 operator approval and state pesticide applicator license.
Ways in: Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Agricultural Science, Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
Growing much faster than average. Rapidly growing niche not tracked by BLS.
Medium risk for 10 years. Spray drones fly autonomous routes, so one operator runs several; licensing, mixing chemicals and field safety stay human.
Classes: Agriculture CTE, Chemistry, Earth science, Computer science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 45-2091.
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