ok so this kind of came out of nowhere. did some mapping work for a land survey firm a few months back, just a one-off contract thing, and they reached out last week asking if id be interested in coming on as a full time staff pilot. they do a lot of utility corridor work and some agricultural stuff. the pay is decent, not amazing, comes with benefits which i havent had in like 4 years of freelancing.

my gut reaction was hesitation because ive been my own boss for a while and the idea of being on someone elses schedule feels weird. but then again ive had two really slow months recently and the stability sounds pretty good honestly. the role would involve a fair bit of travel which im ok with but wanted to hear from people whove done both sides of this.

anyone gone from freelance to staff and regretted it, or the other way around? the grass is always greener thing is real and i dont want to make a dumb move here

staff positions at survey and inspection companies are underrated imo. you get access to equipment you'd never buy yourself, you build specialized skills fast, and if the company does utility or infrastructure work you're gonna rack up hours in conditions that most freelancers never see. that's worth something on a resume if you ever go back out on your own.

the travel thing can wear on you depending on your situation at home but it sounds like youre ok with it. the benefits piece is real too, health insurance alone makes a big difference when you do the actual math. i did three years staff before going back freelance and i dont regret it at all, came back with way better skills and better contacts than i left with.

honestly the slow months thing would probably push me toward taking it, at least for a year or two. freelance sounds great until you have a bad quarter and youre stressing about rent. the utility corridor work specifically seems like it would be really interesting flying too, not just the same real estate shots over and over