Does anyone know if uxuniversity.com drone pilot certificate can lead to employment as a professional pilot, or have experience with the university?
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Drone Pilot Training
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kphantom, you're going to need at least a recreational/sport pilot license (assuming you're in the US) in order to fly as a professional pilot. Every little extra training would no doubt look good on a resume, but you should focus on getting a 333 exemption and pilot license first if you haven't already done so already. A training like linked above is just a bonus -- kind of like getting a masters degree in industries that don't commonly require it.
I work in higher education, and my concern with the university you reference is that it has no accreditation that I can find. This raises the possibility of paying for training and a certificate that has no standing in the outside world.
I've seen that a couple of state universities around the country are offering courses in drone operations. Florida State or University of Florida - I can't remember which - was one. I think there was one or two state universities in New England that also were offering courses. But depending on where you live, they may not be an option.
Now, you have to remember that the FAA hasn't set final rules on commercial drone pilot certification and operation. So any training you receive could possibly be unnecessary and/or worthless. That said, this is what I'm considering personally:
There are a number of reputable flight schools that offer ground school online. For a few hundred dollars (maybe $300 or so) and the time you can devote on evenings and weekends, you can complete the same ground school training any other private pilot receives. On completion of the school you receive a certificate, which allows you to sit the FAA's private pilot written exam. So, for a lot less than the drone schools are charging, you're part way to earning an actual pilot's license. And I'm pretty sure you receive much more comprehensive training via the online ground school than the drone school. If you take and pass the FAA's written exam, I'm pretty certain that would be a point in your favor with any potential employer.
Currently - although the FAA's rules are real fuzzy - you have to have a pilot's license to fly a drone commercially, plus the Section 333 approval and a tail number for your aircraft. There's a lot of speculation out there - which may or may not be realized - that final commercial drone pilot rules will require you to complete private pilot ground school (or something similar) plus an actual skills test to get a drone pilot license, but nothing as arduous and expensive as getting a license to fly a small plane.
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