A day in this work
You fly drones for farm spraying, mapping, inspection, films and delivery, and process the data they collect.
Ways in
- Class 10 pass and age 18: train at a DGCA-approved Remote Pilot Training Organisation
- Remote Pilot Certificate, then work with service companies
- Add GIS, surveying or filming skills to earn more
After Class 10
Any stream
Entrance exams to know
- RPTO course assessment
Years, cost and pay
- Years of study
- Weeks to months
- Whole-course cost, government or aided
- under ₹2 lakh
- Whole-course cost, private
- under ₹2 lakh
- Typical starting pay
- under ₹3 lakh a year
Indicative bands from the pilot dataset (0.1 (pilot), 19 September 2026). Real fees and pay vary a lot by college, city and year. Check the official sites below.
No college, coaching institute, lender or study-abroad agent pays to appear on these pages. Pathways takes no money from them.
Outlook, and how AI is changing this work
Outlook: Growing. AI changes some of the daily work.
Flying is becoming automated. Operators who also analyse the data or maintain the fleet do best.
Try this week
Look up the no-fly zones around your town on the Digital Sky map.
Check the facts yourself
These are official sites. Exam names, dates, fees and rules change every year, so confirm them there. Each link opens in a new tab.
Careers close to this one
See how well this fits you
Discovery in the app takes about eight minutes and gives each of these 52 careers a fit score from your own answers. It is free during the pilot, and nobody is asked for an email address or a phone number. Students under 18 need a parent or guardian to agree first, and children under 13 cannot join yet.