Aside from the obvious need to know how to operate a drone (aka unmanned aerial vehicle), you will be surprised by various basic skills and soft skills that employers look for in a job candidate. In a panel held at the Aerial Pathways National Drone Educators Conference, panelist from NASA, MOTA Group, K2 Unmanned, and Pix4D, have mentioned skills such as the ability to focus, the capability to follow direction and follow rules, persistence, big-picture thinking, writing, reading, and communication as qualities they seek in potential employees in their organizations. To see what technical skills employers desire, check out the Virginia Space Grant Consortium’s research on small unmanned aircraft systems operations technician, which detailed the knowledge and skills, tools and equipment, and worker behaviors deemed essential by employers in this field.
Wing Cheung, PhD
Principal Investigator, UASTEP
Wing Cheung is the Principal Investigator of the UASTEP project. He is a Professor of Geography and the Chairman of the Earth, Space and Environmental Sciences department at Palomar College. He is also the Coordinator of the Geographic Information Science as well as the Environmental Studies programs. In addition to hosting outreach events and UAS workshops for high school students, he develops UAS curriculum and oversees the creation of the UAS Associate’s Degree at Palomar College.