so ive been flying for about two years now mostly just for fun, got my part 107 last spring and kind of assumed that would open doors but honestly it just... didnt? like i thought getting the cert was the hard part but now im sitting here with a mavic 3 and a license and no idea how to actually find paying clients

ive done a couple jobs for friends, shot some real estate stuff for a realtor my wife knows, and helped a buddy film his wedding (not technically legal but whatever it was free) but nothing that feels like an actual career path. do people actually make a living at this or is it one of those things where only like 50 pilots in the whole country are doing it full time

any advice would be great, im in a mid sized midwest city if that matters

honest answer - it depends a lot on what niche you go after. real estate is super competitive and the margins are rough because every market has five guys undercutting each other. where i started getting actual traction was with construction progress documentation, like going out to job sites every two weeks and shooting the same angles so the GC can show the owner whats happening. its not glamorous but its recurring work and once you land a contractor who likes you they'll keep calling

also dont sleep on insurance inspections if you can get into that pipeline. the training is a bit of a hurdle but the pay is way better than real estate and theres actual demand. i know a guy in ohio doing pretty well just doing roof inspections for a couple of adjusters he built relationships with over about a year. midwest is honestly not the worst place for this stuff, lots of agriculture too if you want to go that route

im kind of in the same boat as you actually so following this thread. i got my 107 in january and have done exactly one paid job lol. i think the networking thing is real though, like it seems like most people who are doing it consistently got their first few clients just from knowing someone or showing up somewhere. easier said than done obviously