so ive been flying for about 3 years now mostly as a hobby but ive done a few paid gigs here and there, some real estate shoots, one construction progress job that lasted like 6 weeks which was honestly great money. my day job is fine but its not what i want to be doing forever and i keep coming back to the idea of just... doing this full time.

the thing is i dont really know anyone who does it as their primary income and i cant tell if the people online saying they make good money are exaggerating or if its genuinely possible without like being based in a huge city. im in a mid-size town in the midwest, theres some agriculture around, decent amount of construction, not a huge film/media scene but its there.

i have my part 107 already and a decent kit, mavic 3 pro and an older inspire 1 i barely use anymore. just wondering if anyone here has made the jump and whether it was worth it or if i should keep it as a side hustle thing.

made the jump about 4 years ago and honestly the first year was rough, not gonna sugarcoat it. i was constantly underbidding just to get jobs and then resenting the work lol. but once i figured out my actual worth and stopped competing with randos charging $150 for a full real estate shoot it got a lot better.

the agriculture angle in the midwest is real by the way, crop scouting, field mapping, there are ag companies that will literally put you on retainer if you can prove you know what youre doing and have reliable equipment. might be worth poking around that direction specifically since you already have the geography for it. construction documentation is also super steady once you get a relationship with a GC who actually gets what the footage is for.

the inspire 1 is probably dead weight at this point unless youre doing something specific that needs it, not trying to be harsh just the support situation on that platform is not great anymore.

im kind of in a similar boat so following this thread. i went full time about 8 months ago and its been okay but i did not expect how much of the job is just like... emailing people and doing invoices and chasing clients who dont respond. the flying part is maybe 30% of my actual week. just something to think about if you havent already, the business side is its own whole thing.