not a usual transition but there are similarities in the jobs that attract personality types; lots of autonomy, outdoors, high degree of comaradarie among your peer group. I'd add firefighters to the group as well.

Local community college here in town just added an Air Traffic controller major. 2-3 years of schooling and the FAA is banging down the door offering 6 figure jobs to the graduates.

the students are flocking from the pilot program to the controller program.

Be careful with that six figure target. There is a new "B" scale at the FAA ATC facilities. I talked to my neighbor who told me new controllers will top out at 80K a year or so.

I've always had Law Enforcement as a backup occupation to a flying career. I think the military structure and working for 'the man', has had alot to do with framing that mindset. Knowing that aeronautical degrees are not the golden ticket ERAU makes them out to be, I think the best decision I made was focusing all of my education on a degree in the Admin/Criminal Justice field. I am still making myself more marketable by taking several online classes that pertain specifically to criminal law/peace officers in the state that I reside as a backup should my airline fur****. :D

I am currently employed as a police officer and have a commercial, instrument, multi-engine license. There are a lot of things in common between law enforcement and piloting. Some police jobs pay well, some piloting jobs pay well. Most of both jobs will not make you rich. The police job tends to have good insurance and an early retirement. The catch is you have to live long enough to retire. Both jobs are described as a long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror. Both have odd work hours. I have had some very rewarding moments as a police officer and I have seen some awe inspiring sights from the cockpit.

80k if they get hired into a high paying facility. If they end up at Podunk tower, more like 40k-50k.

Currently, no six figure salaries for ATC new hires on the B scale.

The way airline business is going nowadays it sounds like he made a very sound decision...

Cargo is not much better either....lots of canceled flights in the system

Ran into a guy i know from college who's a controller in LIT, he's been there a year, and said he started in the low-mid 40's, and is loving his job.

Have another friend who was furloughed from expressjet, was on sidelines looking in, and applying for every job under the sun. He applied for the Police Department, was accepted, and had a class date. He also had applied to another regional, and was partially through the hiring process with the FBI. I was happy to see him with so many options on the plate, he decided that he'd only be happy flying, took the regional gig, and might now be looking at another furlough. On the contrary, he made a decision that hopefully he can live with, and that's all that matters.

People's choices are influenced by their lives, personalities, and commitments. Each one is unique, and i'd say for the O.P.'s Question, atleast it was unique for the kid who is giving up on Delta.

I was a firefighter early in my flying career. I enjoyed the fire fighting but hated the EMS work. I know quite a few pilots who were cops or firefighters either previously, currently or are trying to become one now.

I was talking with an industrial psychologist just other day who mentioned that pilots, cops and firefighters all have the same basic types of personalities and that the jobs all have the same types of stresses and rewards.

That's funny. Maybe it's genetic. My sis is a Firefighter, I am a Pilot. Same personality? You bet!