💡 Why it matters: Drones now survey land, spray crops, inspect power lines and film weddings and movies. Trained, licensed operators who can fly them safely and legally are needed.
🌍 Around the world
- Nigeria: Nigeria needs trained, licensed operators who can fly drones safely and legally.
- United States: Jobs for surveying and mapping technicians are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦1.2M – ₦3.5M
- Mid-career
- ₦3.5M – ₦9M
- Senior
- ₦9M – ₦22M
≈ ₦292k – ₦750k a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Indicative mid-career range (our estimate, not yet checked against an official source). Incusim estimate
🇺🇸 United States
Closest US category: Surveying and mapping technicians. Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Drone Pilot. Hourly wage low and high x 2,080 hours; Job Bank shows no national median.. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Plan and fly drone missions safely
- Take photos, video and measurements from the air
- Check weather, no-fly zones and aviation rules
- Repair and maintain drones and batteries
- Process images into maps or reports for clients
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Hand-eye coordination
- Safety awareness
- Technology skills
- Planning
- Photography
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Drone pilot certificate approved by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
- Short courses in aerial mapping and photography
- Entry is through WAEC or NECO (secondary school exam) results and JAMB (UTME, the national university entrance exam)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Training with a CAA-approved drone training provider
- Join a surveying, construction, farming or media company
🇺🇸 United States
- Short courses to prepare for the test
- Join a surveying, farming, inspection or media company, or start your own business
🇨🇦 Canada
- Online exam and flight review through approved training providers
- Join a surveying, farming, inspection or media company
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Learn about drones and flight rules
- 2Practise with small drones and simulators
- 3Get a drone pilot licence and permits
- 4Join a surveying, farming, media or security company
- 5Start your own drone services business or lead a drone team
⏰ A day in the life
You check the weather and the battery levels before driving to a farm. You fly the drone in a careful grid pattern to photograph the crops. Back at the office you turn the images into a map that shows which areas need water.