Declaring my major as Air Traffic Control?

Question

I'm thinking about majoring in Air Traffic Control. Can anyone give me any info about what the pay is, how stressful (yes i know it is one of the most stressful jobs ever) it is, and what i need to do to obtain a job in that field? and also, which school would be the best to go to for that? thanks.

Answer 1

First off, in the time it took me to write this there were like 5 different answers. YES there are majors in ATC since 1993 and wow, wish we still had the 2004 pay scale. I'm looking at the real thing in paper as handed out by the FAA a mere 5 months ago and the most senior at LAX, ATL etc aren't making that much by far. Also, to the former teacher, I wish teachers made more, you all deserve to be making doctor's salaries, but yes your ATC friend's pension was probably as high as your highest salary.

Well, if you're in the US here goes. The pay currently ranges from 31,700 to 104,500 for front line controllers (non supervisors that is) a year depending on how busy the facility you work at is and how senior you are and gets increased depending on the cost of living in your area. Pay took a huge cut last year and MIGHT go up. Believe me, the pay is all about where you are. Living in Kansas City making 6 figures is great, at LAX starting out at just over 30K is a struggle.

Stress is overblown. Yes things can get really stressful. Enough to make anyone break out in a cold sweat, but typically the controller before you sequenced all traffic so every aircraft can follow a procedure you are familiar with that gets the flow moving smoothly. When the flow is smooth, you're running off of memory and extablished procedure and could do it with your eyes closed so to speak. Something jams up the works, bad weather, an emergency etc, and you'll be feeling serious pressure.

To get a job in ATC (again in the US, every country is different) yuou need one of 3 things. Get hired off the street, go to a CTI school or do ATC in the military.

If you want the military, talk to a recruiter, I'm no expert. Make sure though that you are promised ATC if you want to do ATC for a living.

Off the street hires typically require a 4 year degree. The process is fairly simple. You go to an interview...pass...then take the AT-SAT entrance exam. If you pass both you get put into a pool. Everyone with the same last number in their social security number as the one they draw goes to Oklahoma City for training. Problem is, there is a reason the FAA started up the CTI program. The department of transportation did a study...turns out learning to be a controller in the 7 weeks the FAA gives you is even more difficult than learning to be an astronaut in the time NASA uses to train. Simply put, only 1 in 4 off the street hires makes it to their tower / TRACON / Center and passes that training.

Last bet is the CTI program. 13 colleges and universities offer an FAA approved ATC major. Go to one and graduate with a degree in ATC and the FAA will promise you a training slot at Oklahoma City. The upside to the CTI program is by the time you go to OK City you've already learned most of what they'll teach you and your chances of making it as a controller go from 25% to something like 98%.

Since there are only 13 and all 13 have the same benefits the location would be my biggest worry if I were you. I went to one of the CTI schools (Middle Tennessee State University) for a bachellors degree in Political Science and minored in aerospace with no intent to be a controller, but did take many of the required classes for my minor. Now i find myself at the Community College of Beaver County for ATC. CCBC seems pretty good especially for a 2 year program. The other 12 schools just do a generalized course, while CCBC has you specialize in tower or radar (enroute) operations. Those in the tower option are the only CTI students to have class in a functioning control tower and actually graduate with a control operator's certificate with a facility rating for BVI tower. Those that specialize in enroute at CCBC are taught by a professor that boasts the higest rate of success of all CTI professors at passing in the FAA academy (a full 100%). That said, having the material force fed to you in a 7 week course is insane and extremely challenging. If you do the CTI program and it is broken up into classes over a year or two, it is far easier and the FAA academy session becomes more of a refresher course.

Answer 2

The Us Navy training will give you the equivalent of a 4 yr degree in Atc. Out of A school the license for the control tower-B school gca ground approach -c school -catcc -carrier air traffic control center- My shipmates and I all had the chance with our training to work for the FAA --My buddy in Charleston SC just retired at age 50 from the FAA he is set for life --I on the other hand used my GI bill to finish school and just retired from teaching high school -- the most I ever made teaching was in the $50 s - I'm sure that my buddy made double that - also we had a GREAT time seeing other places around the world. Good luck - the stress level --well, it depends on you -I thought teaching was more stressful.

Answer 3

Agree with the answerer above, but to answer your question about pay levels, to quote the US Dept of Labor Statistics website:

"Air traffic controllers earn relatively high pay and have good benefits. Median annual earnings of air traffic controllers in May 2004 were $102,030. The middle 50 percent earned between $78,170 and $126,260. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $57,720, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $139,210."

Answer 4

My thanks for your question, Ryan. Very few people in the world would even look to the Bible to see that this unique time in history was foretold in the holy scriptures. Another set of scriptures that may blow your mind in terms of accuracy can be found at 2 Tim. 3:1-5. Read those, and see if this doesn't paint a picture of human history today. My opinion? Those who love God need to make changes NOW, and not wait. We can't be like teenagers who have a party while our parents are away and then suddenly start trying to clean things up when we see the headlights of their car in the driveway. Every film comedy that portrays this type of thing shows how futile and stupid that thinking is.

Answer 5

You don'tt major in air traffic control.
There is one school, run by the FAA in Oklahoma City, OR, you can learn it in the Military.
No college offers it as a major. ,.
Here's the website

Answer 6

i just read in some magazine that ATC is the highst paying that you can get with out a degree.

I was in the navy and knew lots of people that thought it was way stessful but knew a lot that loved it, it really depends on your personality.

I really want to get into it but only because i've only worked under pressure and perfer it. if deadlines scare you like some of my navy buddies it's not for you but really you should talk to a real ATC asap.