Originally Posted by kalyx522

If I remember correctly from my ATC classes, you have to either graduate from the 13 or so colleges in the US that have approved ATC programs, be a former military controller, or be ex-PATCO (controllers that went on strike in the 80s then got fired by Reagan). There really is no way for an off the street person to just take the exam and get accepted. (Anybody who knows otherwise, feel free to correct me.) Good news is that some of those colleges are community colleges, so tuition should be pretty cheap. I took the ATSAT (the ATC exam) last year and it wasn't too bad.. took me five hours (they give you a maximum of 8 hrs) and I had some trouble with 2 or 3 sections (out of like 10 I think??) but if you're reasonably intelligent you should do reasonably well. (It basically tests you on your brain's ability to multitask, do mental math, memorization skills, and all those other things that controllers need to do.)
Then after you graduate, you wait for the FAA to call you.. right now, the wait is about a year. They do some additional testing/interviews/background checks and then you go to Oklahoma for training for 12 weeks or something like that. (It's all paid training, although they did cut the pay not too long ago.) After you're done in Oklahoma you get sent off to work. These days most people are sent to Centers. You remain a trainee for 2 or 3 years, and then you become a full-blown controller. Controller pay is pretty good. Although, there are rumors that the FAA is going to cut controllers' salaries. It's not a bad deal if you like sitting on your butt staring into a screen in a dark room getting stressed out.. haha. I mean, at least you get to go home every night and have a decent salary. But, it's not flying.