I thought I wanted to be an air traffic controller...then they capped salary at 100k...not enough money for me to play video games all day and listen to student pilots not doing what they're supposed to.

I never understood how to get into ATC work. There was something about the military vs a college program that you needed to have to be considered. This isnt required anymore? Is there still a test you have to take to be considered, a lot of time waiting for the test, then the results, then the class, then the job??

They are still hiring out of the CTI schools (collegiate training initiative...google it). They do off the street hiring but it is mainly for places people don't go (Seattle, Albuquerque, and NY).

From the stats I have seen something like 1500 people took the AT-SAT (the test everyone takes to become an ATC) for one of the off the street hiring campaigns the FAA did. Of those 1500, 80 passed, and a <10 were hired. So you're best bet is to go military or to a community college near you if you'd like to pursue ATC.

The shortage is due to a thing called the PATCO strike of 1981. The 13,000 member strong ATC union had a few demands for president Reagan, the major being better working conditions. Anyways they decided to strike, well about 11,000 of them did anyways. Reagan threatened to fire them, which he did, two day later. Long story short, the "replacements" are all up for retirement now and over the next few years. Therefore the FAA is going to have to replace a lot of jobs over the next 5 years or so.

Main thing to remember about ATC is that it's a government job. No one enters civil service to get rich. On the other hand, the job security and guaranteed retirement, will exceed most anything the airlines are offering these days.

Yes, virtually the entire current workforce was hired in the few years following the 1981 strike. Very little hiring was done from the late 80's on. Controllers hired in that era will be retiring in the next few years.

I always believed the FAA postponed hiring all these years, because the evolution of GPS/TCAS would allow a reduction in enroute center controllers. But that hasn't come to pass, and doesn't look as if it is on the near horizon either.

17000 new controllers needed now.

negats is sounding pretty cool.

i dont know if yall heard, but prety much okc will be pulling people off the streets and train them in house to be controllers.

just remember kids...get in before you turn 31 or get that phoenix-20 waiver if you were in the armed forces

not too bad of a deal if you ask me...flying goes down hill, ill hop over to the other side of the mic

...fss aint lookin too bad either

Actually, the FAA has always had a proportion of new hires "they pulled off the streets". The old requirements going back 30 or so years ago, provided several methods for getting hired. You could have a bachelor's degree, and no aviation experience and get hired. You could have an instrument rating, and get hired. You could be a military controller and get hired. Having met one of those prerequisites, the rest was dependant on how well you scored on the civil service exam. The CTI/college ATC programs didn't exist back then.