Posted: 8/23/2010 2:25:10 PM EDT
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Any insight from anyone who works in this field is greatly appreciated. |
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Quoted: Never heard at-cti. Us dump pilots call it ATC. Thre are some controllers running around hee. Are you in Oak city or going to a college program? College. At-CTI is what they are calling the program before you go to Oak. City http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ahr/jobs_careers/occupations/atc/at-cti/ |
| You do realize that the FAA is hiring directly off of bus billboards. Apply online and go to the academy. Screw paying for college you won't need for the job. I'm dating a center controller, she can go on and on about the street hires that are coming in non stop. |
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Quoted: Any insight from anyone who works in this field is greatly appreciated. I'm sort of still in the program (Green River CC)...I decided that i'm going to become an dispatcher (finished the class, got an 88 on the written, and worrying about the practical) and work towards getting a commercial ticket. The biggest problem you'll face is your ability to memorize sector maps, approaches/departures, and the holy-all knowing 7110.65 Don't listen to the naysayers here, CTI graduates are always in demand and with the retirement crunch coming in 2-3 years, you'll be in a perfect position. Public (street hires) wash out at an extremely high rate. Also, get this http://www.atc-sat.com/?gclid=CI2Phb-J1KMCFQs_bAod9zZTqA Yes, a moron could pass the AT-SAT but you need to have a high score to be competitive. I was turned off from becoming a controller because before you become certified in center, tower, whatever...the potential to fail a sim or having a deal is very high. Going from having a job and then having no job and no prospects because who else will hire a non-certified CTI graduate is too much for me at my age. Also, having to maintain a Second Class medical sucks if you like bacon! PM me with more questions. |
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Yes get insight from the guy that doesn't do the job. My gf whom I have dated on and off for over 19 years did the beaver county cc thing. She had and has no preference over any street hires. Being a street hire means shit about the washout rate, motivation is key like any job. The are people that were cleaning hotel rooms a year ago getting d side checkouts right now. They days of needing an approved school degree are fucking long gone.
But if you love student loans and look forward to getting in after a huge hiring push, hey have at it. I was trying to save you money for college and get you into a job that makes great money. You make per 100k a year as a center controller, if you make it to retirement at 55 or so (the earlier you get in the earlier you retire) you will be fine with medical. Plus there is insurance for loss medical. If you want to be a controller go do It. My gf is training and has trained people that applied for the program while in college for and left the college program as soon as they were hired, they are doing great. I have a good friend that is a CFI that never went to college, he is a tracon controller at buffalo ny and is doing great, he was sick of shit pilot pay. College won't help you memorize maps or make you any smarter, they will just take you money and tell you how valuable their program is. Some here have fallen for that hiring push bs. Why is. It bs, because they are hiring off the street by the fuck ton right now. ZOB sees 5-10 new hires a month. If a former hotel maid and a woman that just got bored sitting around the house can control aircraft, you can. Pm me if you want to talk to a real controller. Please don't that advise from someone that doesn't want to do the job, and hasn't. |
| Currently work in a tower/tracon. There was no prefrenced between the off the street hires and the CTI students when I was going through OKC. I did CTI but they were not doing off the street back then. I think off the street guys needed a few years in a full time job or some sort of college to get in but I never cared to find out. Last I heard they were not or had really slowed down the hireing of off the street people. |
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Quoted: Currently work in a tower/tracon. There was no prefrenced between the off the street hires and the CTI students when I was going through OKC. I did CTI but they were not doing off the street back then. I think off the street guys needed a few years in a full time job or some sort of college to get in but I never cared to find out. Last I heard they were not or had really slowed down the hireing of off the street people. This is exactly what I heard. I was introduced to the profession through a family friend, who is nearing retirement after around 25 years. He was telling me to do the AT-CTI program since they were cutting way back on off the street hires due to an incredibly high washout rate. I already have a BS, and getting the AT-CTI degree will only take me around 3 semesters due to credits transferring. |
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I have worked VFR towers, limited radar towers, and in a busy TRACON. I have no experience in enroute (centers).
I have never had a greater level of job satisfaction, nor a greater level of disgust as I have in this job. I have sat in my car crying my ass off because I had never been so scared in my life (and I had been an Infantryman and also had worked in Law Enforcement). Do yourself a favor and find a job that will let you live to enjoy the back end of your life. As for the CTI vs. off the street thing, all I can say is this: In the long run, it makes absolutely no difference and it will not influence your ability as a controller. This job requires certain abilities that cannot be taught (in a CTI training program or elsewhere). No matter what anyone says, not just anyone can do this job. This is my 23rd year and I have seen all sorts come thru the door. Not everyone can separate airplanes in a safe, orderly, and expeditious manner. I have seen MIT grads that suck at ATC. I have seen folks that used to work for UPS work it like they had done nothing else in life. It all comes down to God-given talent and a real desire to succeed. Some of the best controllers in the system are 'off the street' hires (hence referred to as OTS). Some of the biggest douche bags are also OTS. Same goes for CTI grads and ex-mil types. So, as I said, it matters not. As for the previous poster, who is dating a center weenie, he is correct in that the only real difference between CTI and OTS is how much debt you'll carry with you when you get hired. Now, having said that, I don't know if it still holds, but, CTI folks did get a higher initial starting salary than the OTS folks. This helps at the academy, but, once you are in the field, it is all the same pay. A few things for ya that will be of help as a new hire in ATC: As a new hire at an ATC facility, no one, absolutely no one gives a shit about how you did on the AT- SAT, where you graduated from as a CTI grad, or how well you did at the academy. It means absolutely jack-shit nothing to those controllers in the field. Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open. A developemental is seen and not heard. Pay fucking attention. Lastly, There is a fine line between being a Bad-Ass and a Dumb-Ass; always know where that line is and what side of it you are on. |
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Quoted: A few things for ya that will be of help as a new hire in ATC: As a new hire at an ATC facility, no one, absolutely no one gives a shit about how you did on the AT- SAT, where you graduated from as a CTI grad, or how well you did at the academy. It means absolutely jack-shit nothing to those controllers in the field. Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open. A developemental is seen and not heard. Pay fucking attention. Lastly, There is a fine line between being a Bad-Ass and a Dumb-Ass; always know where that line is and what side of it you are on. This PM me with questions. |