Atc vs dispatch

van12 said:
After how many years of staying with that major did they start making 150k?

Center and tracons make that number after 2 years, but QOL and schedule is definitely better for dx.
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Most top out in 10 years. In 2 years you’re probably closer to the $105K with just base pay, but when you only work half the year it’s hard to beat. Throw in overtime and if you’re lucky enough, profit sharing and you could be at maybe $130K.
 
PuddlePirate said:
By law the maximum any FAA employee can make is $192K in a year.
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That's base salary. Throw in nights, weekend, Sunday pay, holiday pay, OT etc etc and for my last ten years I was easily making more than 200k, and the last 5 (before I retired the day I turned 50) I made over 260k per year.
 
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van12 said:
After how many years of staying with that major did they start making 150k?

Center and tracons make that number after 2 years, but QOL and schedule is definitely better for dx.
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After adding in OT I've heard of major dispatchers hitting 300k while being on 5 year salary. Probably a ton of OT but still, the money is there.
 
A80TRACON said:
That's base salary. Throw in nights, weekend, Sunday pay, holiday pay, OT etc etc and for my last ten years I was easily making more than 200k, and the last 5 (before I retired the day I turned 50) I made over 260k per year.
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Just curious, did you take up a second job/career after retiring?
 
manniax said:
Just curious, did you take up a second job/career after retiring?
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I had a few weeks off after I retired in Sept. 2015 and then I went to work for a company that provides instructors to atc trainees in Baghdad, Iraq. I spent 14 months initially, took about 5 months off and then went back for 4 months because they had a staffing crisis. Been fully retired since Sept. 2017.

Really enjoyed my time there and it gave me tremendous amounts of time off to travel, saw some strange and wonderful cultures, made a little over 18k a month (portions of it tax free) and made some lifelong friends from every corner of the world that I wouldn't have made otherwise if I had stayed till I turned 56 in the FAA.
 
Now that we have all whipped then out and compared, you will make good money either direction. If your dream has been ATC, do it. If you don't like it or don't make it you can always come back to dispatch. Once you get over a comfortable wage it doesn't really matter what you make. And either way you will be making enough to buy a ticket on an airline to travel.
 
CF34-3B1 said:
So what intelligence level does it take to know the difference between “way” and “weigh?” :stir:
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who'swho said:
Only a "select few" know the difference.
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Altimeter said:
What about “Whey”? Can’t leave out the protein.
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Hahaha grammar police.......... You got me, I was never good at English....... Heck, I don't even have a college degree (6 English credits shy of an associates degree).

I retired from ATC at age 34 with full pension and medical/dental/vision. I get paid more than a senior regional dispatcher just sitting on my butt all day.

If flight benefits mean that much to you then ok.... I just would disagree on that. I mean really, who is the joke really on?

Then again, I also have permanent disabilities partially brought on by the stress of the job, so the joke could be on me too...... I know very few controllers that aren't prematurely gray and get medical issues sooner than the general public. The reason you have to retire at age 56 is because the stress of the job is so real.......

I don't regret my decision to do ATC one bit though. I feel a part of a family of select few that did the job. No-one will understand the life unless you've done it.

To the OP, I still stand by my original statement. If you have a type A personality, love adrenaline rushes, and can handle the stress of having to be perfect at every second, give ATC a try, you can always go back to dispatch later...... If not stay in dispatch.
 
I definitely want to be a dx for a major...but taking a year to get ATC certified can't hurt right?
 
van12 said:
I definitely want to be a dx for a major...but taking a year to get ATC certified can't hurt right?
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ATC certified, at a college? That really doesn't help with ATC nowadays, I think it's a waste of time and money... I would work on getting a degree like airport or airline management or a BS in Aeronautical Science if you are close to a degree in school.
If it’s a choice between getting a job with a regional right now and start gaining your dispatcher experience and having that on your resume or waiting another year just so you can spend money and time getting your ATC certificate I would say forget about it. That certificate will not improve your chances of getting picked up by ATC. There are some Feds that believe it is easier to train people off the street because they do not have bad habits picket by those that go to college for ATC
 
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DispatchDan said:
ATC certified, at a college? That really doesn't help with ATC nowadays, I think it's a waste of time and money... I would work on getting a degree like airport or airline management or a BS in Aeronautical Science if you are close to a degree in school.
If it’s a choice between getting a job with a regional right now and start gaining your dispatcher experience and having that on your resume or waiting another year just so you can spend money and time getting your ATC certificate I would say forget about it. That certificate will not improve your chances of getting picked up by ATC. There are some Feds that believe it is easier to train people off the street because they do not have bad habits picket by those that go to college for ATC
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No, CPC certified at a center. (I'm only awaiting a classdate). 4 months of classroom then 1-2 years OJT versus more dx experience. Dx is where I want to eventually be, but atc is my fallback in case a major doesn't pick me up.
 
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van12 said:
No, CPC certified at a center. (I'm only awaiting a classdate). 4 months of classroom then 1-2 years OJT versus more dx experience. Dx is where I want to eventually be, but atc is my fallback in case a major doesn't pick me up.
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In that case, yeah go for it. Good luck and hopefully you will like the work, I would rather work ATC then regional. If one day you decide that ATC is not for you, try getting a job as a dispatcher with a major before leaving ATC.
If you pass the academy and OJT, I would only go to dispatch if I could get a job with a major directly, would definitely not go to a regional. If being a controller in front of a radar screen is not for you, stick with it for a few years and then transition to one of the other jobs with the feds withing the ATC.
 
DispatchDan said:
In that case, yeah go for it. Good luck and hopefully you will like the work, I would rather work ATC then regional. If one day you decide that ATC is not for you, try getting a job as a dispatcher with a major before leaving ATC.
If you pass the academy and OJT, I would only go to dispatch if I could get a job with a major directly, would definitely not go to a regional. If being a controller in front of a radar screen is not for you, stick with it for a few years and then transition to one of the other jobs with the feds withing the ATC.
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I would have very little dx experience though. Has anyone gone directly from atc to a major?
 
van12 said:
I would have very little dx experience though. Has anyone gone directly from atc to a major?
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I'm sure if you poll everyone at the majors, you would eventually find someone who did that. I bet you you would find a lot more who went ATC, Regional, then major, or who flunked out of ATC, went to a regional and then to a major.
 
van12 said:
I would have very little dx experience though. Has anyone gone directly from atc to a major?
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Probably not without any prior DX experience. Since you are close to going to the academy just put all your focus into that, it’s a great career. If I was you I wouldn’t look back on dispatch... only dilemma would be for someone with many years of DX experience. If I was in your shoes, I would only consider DX again if I washed out of school or OJT.
 
There is a guy at WN that went there directly from ATC. I’m sure there aren’t too many who get hired like that but it’s possible.
 
van12 said:
No, CPC certified at a center. (I'm only awaiting a classdate). 4 months of classroom then 1-2 years OJT versus more dx experience. Dx is where I want to eventually be, but atc is my fallback in case a major doesn't pick me up.
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I don't think you really realize the abuse and sacrifice you are going to go through just to quit in the end......If ATC is not something you want for a career, I advise you not to do it. Also your timeline is a bit soft..... Expect 3-5 years training at a center.....
 
I think you need to slow down and think things through. You seem to bounce from idea to idea, and none of it seems feasible.

Going to ATC to get to a major isn’t the right way to do it. Thinking you don’t have to spend time “paying your dues” and getting the experience needed for a major just presents a deeper issue. Don’t be fooled, you should have dispatch experience before you go to a major/mainline, or at the very least other operational experience, which it seems you don’t have.

I’d take a step back, breath, relax, and figure out long term, because it doesn’t seem like you’re planning to get where you want to be, even though you think you are.


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