so ive been doing this as a side thing for about two years now, part 107 certified, got maybe 15-20 paid gigs under my belt mostly real estate and a couple weddings. my day job is just okay and im starting to wonder if i could actually make this work full time. not trying to get rich just want to pay my bills doing something i actually enjoy.

the thing is i have no idea how consistent the work actually gets once you commit to it fully. right now i feel like im turning down jobs because of my schedule but maybe thats just because the work feels scarce when you're not actively looking. does anyone here actually do this as their main income? like is it doable in a mid-size city or do you basically have to be in a major metro to make it work?

would love to hear from people who made the jump or decided not to and why

made the jump about three years ago and honestly the first six months were rough, not gonna sugarcoat it. i was in a city of maybe 400k people and the real estate work was okay but super seasonal. what actually saved me was getting into construction progress shoots and insurance inspection work, that stuff is way more consistent and the clients come back over and over once they trust you.

the real estate agents and wedding photographers thing is kind of a trap early on because everyone chases it and the rates get driven way down. if you can position yourself toward commercial clients who need regular aerial documentation you'll have a much better time. took me a while to figure that out. but yeah it's doable, just takes longer than you think to build the client base.

im kind of in the same boat as you honestly so watching this thread. i did my 107 last spring and have done maybe 8 paid jobs, all real estate. curious if the construction and inspection thing requires additional certifications or if part 107 covers it