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Air traffic control specialists make a lot of money and quickly. This line of work does not require a college degree, and once someone certifies, she’s making s

by gbacon 9y ago

Air traffic control specialists make a lot of money and quickly. This line of work does not require a college degree, and once someone certifies, she’s making six figures in less than seven years — maybe sooner.

ssully 9y ago
I think you keep overlooking the path taken to get to the point of making those six figures. I would love if someone in the industry could shed some light here. I have two friends early in an ATC career and it sounded like getting to where they are now was hell (and they definitely aren't at the 6 figure mark yet). The most reductive way I've had it explained is it's years of training, with shit pay and relocation, and the possibility of washing out along the way being relatively high.
- gbacon 9y ago
  Yes, ATC specialists who are living the good life are definitely survivors. It is a specialized aptitude that not everyone has controlled by a federal bureaucracy and a union. People wait for months and years for OTS (off the street) bids, take a battery of tests, receive a TOL (tentative offer letter), and wait months for a slot at the ATC academy at Oklahoma City. Assuming our hero passes the academy, she is then assigned to an Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC or just Center), an air traffic control tower (ATCT), or an “up-down” facility with both a control tower and TRACON, terminal radar approach control. Certifying in just one sector may take a year or two. Trainees make upwards of $30k annually. Someone who washes out may look at transferring to a less demanding facility. People also request hardship transfers to be closer to family and so on, but ATC is chronically understaffed, and obtaining those transfers takes time. As with pilots (see another reply in this thread[0]), military ATC experience is often a more expedient route. FAA controllers tend to discount the skill and decision making of former Army controllers who mostly deal with low-flying slow movers under VFR rather than jets under positive control. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16941169 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16941169 Oh by the way, our hero must get in (I believe be admitted to the academy) before her 31st birthday. The clock is ticking. Yes, there is survivorship bias in the success stories. People wash out of other careers too. Seeing actual data on rates would be fascinating. For balance, read the “Why do drug dealers still live with their moms?” chapter of Freakonomics.

by gbacon 9y ago

ssully 9y ago

I think you keep overlooking the path taken to get to the point of making those six figures. I would love if someone in the industry could shed some light here. I have two friends early in an ATC career and it sounded like getting to where they are now was hell (and they definitely aren't at the 6 figure mark yet). The most reductive way I've had it explained is it's years of training, with shit pay and relocation, and the possibility of washing out along the way being relatively high.

gbacon 9y ago
Yes, ATC specialists who are living the good life are definitely survivors. It is a specialized aptitude that not everyone has controlled by a federal bureaucracy and a union. People wait for months and years for OTS (off the street) bids, take a battery of tests, receive a TOL (tentative offer letter), and wait months for a slot at the ATC academy at Oklahoma City. Assuming our hero passes the academy, she is then assigned to an Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC or just Center), an air traffic control tower (ATCT), or an “up-down” facility with both a control tower and TRACON, terminal radar approach control. Certifying in just one sector may take a year or two. Trainees make upwards of $30k annually. Someone who washes out may look at transferring to a less demanding facility. People also request hardship transfers to be closer to family and so on, but ATC is chronically understaffed, and obtaining those transfers takes time. As with pilots (see another reply in this thread[0]), military ATC experience is often a more expedient route. FAA controllers tend to discount the skill and decision making of former Army controllers who mostly deal with low-flying slow movers under VFR rather than jets under positive control. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16941169 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16941169 Oh by the way, our hero must get in (I believe be admitted to the academy) before her 31st birthday. The clock is ticking. Yes, there is survivorship bias in the success stories. People wash out of other careers too. Seeing actual data on rates would be fascinating. For balance, read the “Why do drug dealers still live with their moms?” chapter of Freakonomics.