so anyway i finally got a job through one of those platforms that connects pilots to clients, i wont name it but its one of the bigger ones. the job was straightforward enough - a surveying company needed someone local for a days worth of mapping work on a site about 45 minutes from my house. they provided the flight plan parameters and i just had to execute and upload the data. paid out like $280 after the platform took their cut which felt okayish for a days work i guess.

the thing that bugs me is that most of the jobs on there pay kind of low and its clear the platforms position themselves to the clients as a way to get cheap drone coverage without hiring a full time person. which like, fine, i get the business model but it doesnt really feel like the kind of work that leads anywhere career wise. or am i wrong about that? has anyone actually used one of these gig platforms as a legit stepping stone rather than just pocket money

yeah those platforms are pretty much a race to the bottom on price if you let them be. i used one early on and the way i looked at it was purely as a way to get reps and build a portfolio in niches i hadnt shot before - not to actually build client relationships through them because the platform owns that relationship technically. the surveying work you did is actually good experience tho, if you can get comfortable with the mapping workflows and learn to talk the language of that industry you can go find those clients yourself and cut out the middleman entirely. a days work of GCP-based mapping work through a direct relationship with a surveying or engineering firm goes for way more than $280.

$280 after fees for a full day seems low to me but i guess it depends on your market and what gear you were running. i had a similar experience, did a few jobs through one of those apps last year and it felt fine in the moment but then i realized i couldnt even follow up with the client or mention i was available for future work without violating the terms. that part annoyed me more than the pay honestly. good learning experience but not a long term play imo