24 replies to this topic

[Hawai'ian]

The stress is the worst. There are a few stories of ATC committing suicide after accidents on their shift that were not even directly their fault. Most notable is the one where the two planes crashed midair in Europe and one was full of kids.

It was murder, not suicide.

[Kirkland]

ATC seems like it would be an interesting job.
I recommend you speak with current controllers. They're job isn't so famous so they might be chuckled by someone interested in their work and reach out

[Kirkland]

Also the ATC controllers are rarely at blame in collisions
The Russians ignored TCAS and the Kazakh plane was at the wrong altitude in the past few accidents. And the big one was because a macho KLM pilot didn't wanna get home late.

The "risk" of suicide is far less than other work hazards you'll see elsewhere

[Hawai'ian]

And the big one was because a macho KLM pilot didn't wanna get home late.

As always I love your choice of words.

[Amtran]

Not sure if this applies exactly to you, but as someone who's getting a degree in preparation for applying to the FAA Academy here in the US, the Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) sounds nice, especially because it only takes 2 years to get the specialized degree, but with new hiring standards and procedures, it may not have much future in the US. Personally, I'm aiming for a 4-year degree in Aviation Management, but it doesn't necessarily have to be an aviation degree (I'm going that path since if I don't get in, I could always work in airport management, or something like that).

 

Regarding the psychological factors, the FAA takes a lot of precautions these days. If you get accepted, before you even get into the Academy, you have to pass 3-6 weeks of psychological testing.