ATC career
 

Hey guys,
I am 19 years old and i am in the middle of getting my ppl. I am just trying to get some advice on some ideas. I live in so. california. Does anyone know where you can go to school for degrees in something along the line of ATC. How competitive is it to become a ATC at a local airport, and what is the pay like? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks.

I know of at least one school in southern cali, I knew a girl who went there, but I don't recall the name.

The good news is that a great many controllers will retire soon, and there are no replacements lined up...it should be a good market for job-seekers.

The bad news is that the FAA is on a crusade to reduce ATC pay and work-rules (since the pilots have taken 50% pay cust since 911). It used to pay well over $100K, depending on what kind of control work you do. Not sure where it will end up, but like I said there should be jobs available.

Many controllers get their training in the military...free training and preferential federal hiring when you get out. Jjust make sure you get it in writing that you will recieve ATC training when you join. :rolleyes:

oops, duplicate post.

You mean to be a controller? You have two choices... go to the military and become a controller there, and then get out and go work for the FAA... btw, if you do that, I am 99% certain that the age rule is waived (the rule being that you have cant be older than 30 by the time you attend training or something like that).
Or, graduate from one of the 13 or so collegiate programs. I don't remember all the schools from the top of my head, but they are well scattered throughout the country and include community colleges as well as 4 yr ones... most aviation colleges like UND and ERAU have it too. Just google "ATC CTI" or something of that effect. They all have varying programs - some that offer internships, etc.
Around your junior or senior year, you take the AT-SAT, which is the controller exam. (It took five hours for me but wasn't too difficult, and there's no way to study for it... it tests your ability to multitask, mental math, memory skills, etc etc.) Then after you graduate there is about a year wait until the FAA calls you... you go through all this screening process, and if you pass you go to their academy in Oklahoma City for like three months to train. THEN you get sent to either center or terminal, as a trainee, which lasts about three years. After that, you become a full-blown controller.
As far as the location you want to work at... it's not guaranteed.. you do fill out a preference form, but ultimately they send you wherever they need you. Right now most people are being sent to centers (not tower, like you mentioned). It does seem like most of the people I know are being sent to the region they requested.. as you may know, FAA has shortage of controllers pretty much everywhere.
Pay depends on which facility you go. There are different levels of facilities. I think the top level is level 12, and most or all centers are level 12. (Anybody who knows better, please feel free to correct.) The higher the level, the higher the pay. Controller pay is pretty decent... you start out around $30-40k and assuming you end up at a level 12 center, you could reach close to or over $100k after some number of years. One controller I spoke to was working at Miami center... he was about to retire and had been making close to $150k/year for a while. I think there HAS been some pay cuts in the past year or so, but I don't know much about that in detail.
I would not say it's competitive at all. The collegiate program wasn't extremely difficult. At my school you had to have a 3.0 GPA in the major (or minor, if you minor in ATC instead of majoring in it.) to get recommended to go to Oklahoma City... but if you're a decent student that shouldn't be that hard. Besides, if you have your private, it will help out a lot because you will already know a lot of things you need to know as a controller, esp things like terminology.
EVeryone I know who majored or minored in ATC have already gotten their calls and are going through the training in Oklahoma or are working at centers already. As you long as you don't bust that AT-SAT, or don't have psychological problems, can pass a background check and a medical, and is a US citizen, you should be good to go. FAA has major shortage of controllers and the hiring will remain steady for years to come. In fact, the only thing keeping them from hiring more is the budget.

Well thats good new thanks. I will go ahead and look into it more. I am pretty sure that embrey riddle has a campus in long beach or something that i might be able to attend. Thanks for the information. What are your thoughts on being a pilot and a ATC? Is it possible or is it pretty much one or the other. I am thinking if i was to become a controller, i would most likely try to become a corporate pilot and work around my ATC schedule, what do you think? Thanks again

Don't give Embry-Riddle your money. Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut has a CTI program. You'll pay $26 a unit there compared to $300 or so for ERAU's branch campus.

http://aeronautics.mtsac.edu/degrees/handsupp.html

yea i was checking that out earlier, it is FAA approved and its pretty close to where i live, i think i will definetly consider it. Any advice about being a pilot and ATC?

ATC is full-time shift work. It isn't flexible, but flying demands YOU be flexible. I doubt the two jobs would match up well. Besides, if it were me, the last thing I'd want to do after getting off shift is think about a 2nd job.

yea thats very true, well i would prefer being a pilot over anything so maybe i will just get a degree in ATC and have it as a backup if i ever have any medical problems that would prohibit me from flying.

If you decline the FAA's offer to train at the academy, you won't get another chance. This offer comes within two years of finishing the CTI program. Also, keep in mind that the ATC degree at Mt. SAC is only an AA. To be competitive in the airlines (later on) you'll need a bachelor's.

Someone else wanna confirm that? I heard that if you decline the initial offer after completing CTI, your name is out of their database permanently. Maybe that'll change given the impending shortage.