SEMO's drone program is a point of distinction for the university

In 1967, a movie character was giving a young man career advice.

"The future is plastics," Mr. McGuire told Benjamin Braddock in "The Graduate".

He was right.

Plastic is ubiquitous in our world today, from the bottles containing water and soft drinks to the packaging that protects our food to our vehicles and household items.

A modern-day Mr. McGuire might point the young Braddock in another direction.

"The future is drones."

A decade ago, unmanned drones were toys. People flew them around their backyard before crashing them into a tree.

Then, drone makers got serious. The expensive aircraft came with gimble-equipped cameras to take photos and record video from above. Quality improved exponentially, and toys became serious tools.

A cottage industry of specialized drone-making sprouted, with do-it-yourselfers building incredibly fast, nimble machines and competing around the world to see whose went the fastest around intricately complex courses.

Today, more than a few industries are deploying drones in various ways.

Real estate firms give potential buyers a bird's-eye view of rural acreage.

Energy companies inspect pipelines and power lines remotely.

News-gathering organizations show viewers what's going on in real time.

Drones are everywhere these days. We saw them used at the Old Town Cape Christmas tree lighting event, at a wreck scene along the interstate and at Southeast Missouri State University football games.

In the future, drones will take over many of today's delivery services -- groceries, packages, takeout.

And somebody will have to fly them, repair them, build and/or customize them.

Enter, SEMO's participation in the Federal Aviation Administration's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Collegiate Training Initiative Program.

The program identifies institutions of higher learning that provide curriculum on unmanned aircraft training. That training includes flight practice, maintenance, safety and study of federal policies regarding the aircraft.

Through SEMO's academic program, students can earn an associate or bachelor's degree (a minor is also available)

Andrew Chronister is coordinator of SEMO's Unmanned Aircraft Systems program. He recently explained that there are more drone-piloting jobs available than there are qualified pilots.

"Many people are unaware of the shortage of unmanned aircraft pilots in the industry today. Southeast has continuously updated the program to meet industry needs. The result is a program that not only prepares students for careers in the UAS industry but prepares them to become leaders in the industry," he said.

SEMO is the only university in Missouri to offer a bachelor's degree in UAS. The program should become a unique draw for the university.

We congratulate SEMO on its vision to enter into the FAA program. Students who finish the program will find themselves at the front of a growing career field.