A friend of mine was recently considering trying to get a job with ATC, what with their current non-qualifications, no-degree hiring process. Though I'm sure she would have made a wonderful controller after the decade or so break-in period, I advised her to look elsewhere. The controllers I know are obscenely overworked and their morale is at an all-time low. It amazes me the professionalism they have to do such a great job in the conditions they're being forced to face.
I suppose that's the way it is with most government bureaucracies: the career people are smart and dedicated, but it only takes one bad appointee at the top to mess up the whole system.