To enroll in school's AT-CTI program or not?

CoBuilder

New Member
Hey guys, I'm deciding on whether I should enroll in my school's AT-CTI program. I'll be a senior when the fall semester starts in September and my overall schedule is pretty tight. Currently i haven't requested any info from my school so I know almost next to nothing about the AT-CTI program. Would a year or even just a semester be sufficient to complete the course? Does completing the course increase your chances of getting hired from the pool by the FAA? I do know it exempts you from taking the five week air traffic basics course.
 
Why go to school for a year or two to take 5 weeks of training off of the tab?

If you think you qualify for the job announcements, then apply, and enroll at a community college for business classes or something that you're interested in. Apparently the CTI students are realizing they're getting a raw deal. No reason to volunteer to get punched in the face.
 
You can probably teach yourself whatever they teach in CTI. I think you would still have a good shot of being hired OTS if you prepare for the AT-SAT and meet all of the other requirements.
 
Why go to school for a year or two to take 5 weeks of training off of the tab?

If you think you qualify for the job announcements, then apply, and enroll at a community college for business classes or something that you're interested in. Apparently the CTI students are realizing they're getting a raw deal. No reason to volunteer to get punched in the face.


I'm already in a four year school which offers AT-CTI(Dowling College). I'm a senior and will be receiving my degree in May 09. I should rephrase my question. Does AT-CTI hold much value/weight when it comes to applying for ATCS?
 
I'm already in a four year school which offers AT-CTI(Dowling College). I'm a senior and will be receiving my degree in May 09. I should rephrase my question. Does AT-CTI hold much value/weight when it comes to applying for ATCS?


they dont even ask what your degree is in. so no
 
By the way, what do they teach in the CTI program? Anything practical?


some schools are better than others. i went to UND which is one of the better ones (the FAA ranked it #1 last year) and it does teach you how to work in a team and the basics of ATC. but no, after working in a center for 8 months, i can say that beyond the basics, they dont teach you squat.
 
I've been pondering this same question since I didn't get picked for the last announcement. Now I thought that they would hire military first, then CTI, then OTS right? So if I went the CTI route then I would have a better shot I would think?
 
I've been pondering this same question since I didn't get picked for the last announcement. Now I thought that they would hire military first, then CTI, then OTS right? So if I went the CTI route then I would have a better shot I would think?

from what i've observed, 90% of the people getting pulled for OTS have the following things in common:

4 years college
well-qualified at-sat
 
i was told by a woman on the selection panel that there might be a couple thousand names on th OTS side for a hiring, but 30 for CTI...so there ya go
 
don't enroll in CTI unless u cant qualify for the OTS Anouncements. I am currently enrolled in Miami Dades 2yr CTI program and I am about 3/4 of the way through. I am going to the New York PEPC not from finishing CTI but from my FEB OTS application-go figure. Had I known about the Public Announcements before hand I would have never started CTI. The classes are a joke-complete waste of my time. There are only 3 classes in the whole program which are actually rather helpful-radar, non-radar, and vfr-tower- where you actually get to practice controlling traffic on simulators and flight data strips. Maybe 4yrs down the line when the FAA has somewhat recovered and isn't scrambling to hire anyone with arms 1 good eye and a high school certificate of attendance. Maybe then, CTI will make the difference between getting hired and not. But right now, in my opinion, it just isn't worth it.
 
don't enroll in CTI unless u cant qualify for the OTS Anouncements. I am currently enrolled in Miami Dades 2yr CTI program and I am about 3/4 of the way through. I am going to the New York PEPC not from finishing CTI but from my FEB OTS application-go figure. Had I known about the Public Announcements before hand I would have never started CTI. The classes are a joke-complete waste of my time. There are only 3 classes in the whole program which are actually rather helpful-radar, non-radar, and vfr-tower- where you actually get to practice controlling traffic on simulators and flight data strips. Maybe 4yrs down the line when the FAA has somewhat recovered and isn't scrambling to hire anyone with arms 1 good eye and a high school certificate of attendance. Maybe then, CTI will make the difference between getting hired and not. But right now, in my opinion, it just isn't worth it.


i completely agree. save your money, get a degree in something worthwhile like business or accounting that you can use to your own benefit... all a CTI degree is gets you an 8-24 month wait after graduating to get hired. hell i applied off the street in february and i could be in OKC by september. what a crock.
 
Back
Top