Future atc help

DLHFLYING

New Member
FUTURE ATC HELP
Hi all. I’m considering a career in Air Traffic Control. I actually found that I would probably enjoy this more than flying for the airlines, something I originally was interested in. I visited the Minneapolis Control Tower (MSP) and was blown away in excitement. Obviously, watching controllers control planes is more exciting than being in his/her position (with the added stress, and excitement that probably wears off), but I still think I would enjoy it.

Anyway, I talked with a former controller (who gave me the tour) and he instilled confidence in this career choice from stability and benefits. He told me that you DON’T need a college degree, only 4 years of work experience. To me, it sounded like getting a degree in ATC would not be hugely attractive, given if the ATC venture fell through. I have therefore laid out a few options for myself and would love some guidance since most of you are probably 100 times more knowledge in the profession. Here they are:

1) Go to University of Minnesota and get a business degree from Carlson School of Management (the business school at Minnesota), then apply and take the ATC test. In this option, I go to a very good state school, and get a business degree (business has also been something that has been interesting to me) from a top 20-30 undergraduate business school. This works wonders if I lose interest in aviation, or if it doesn’t work out. And, I like the U of M campus more. More vibrant, in a big city, big ten sports etc.

2) Go to University of North Dakota and get a BS in Air Traffic Control. Obviously, it makes sense to study what you would do in life, but I have a problem with this. It is, learning how to control airplanes applies to NO other job. No company would be interested in taking someone with an air traffic control degree. It closes so many other doors. It’s like getting a degree in women’s studies. The one other thing I keep asking myself is: why the hell would it take 4 years for North Dakota to teach me this?

I could also go to the University of North Dakota and double major in business and ATC. Obviously, Minnesota provides a way more attractive business degree with more connections and internships available from its school. However, going to UND would allow me to study both.

Anyway, I would love some guidance. I would even love new suggestions if you can think of a better option. I really want to be a controller, but don’t want to shoot myself in the foot with respect of falling back on something.
I have two other questions:

1) Does going to CTI schools give you any advantage in admission to the FAA?
2) Does going to a CTI school save time as opposed to just applying off the street. If I spend 4 years at North Dakota, am I in an accelerated training program for the FAA academy? Do I need to start from scratch?

Thanks for all the help. I really can use it. I will be a senior next year in high school.
 
FUTURE ATC HELP


1) Does going to CTI schools give you any advantage in admission to the FAA?
2) Does going to a CTI school save time as opposed to just applying off the street. If I spend 4 years at North Dakota, am I in an accelerated training program for the FAA academy? Do I need to start from scratch?

Thanks for all the help. I really can use it. I will be a senior next year in high school.

1) CTI does not give you an advantage in "admission" to the FAA. It will however allow you to apply for the CTI announcement - that is an advantage since you can apply to both OTS and CTI annoucement which will boost your chances but it won't guarantee you to be picked up.

2) You won't be in any accelerated training program once you get to OKC. The only benefit is, you'll already have the basic insight and knowledge that they will teach in basic training.

IMHO, go to college, get your degree. You still have time to apply since the FAA has a 10 year hiring plan - but who knows how things might change 4-5 years down the line once you graduate. If ATC isn't for you or if you change your mind, at least you have something to fall back on.
Towards your junior year in college if your still interested I say apply to any of the OTS announcement and see what happens. In average, it takes about 1.5 years before you start hearing anything about OKC.

You need 4 combine years of either school and work. So get a side job as you go to school since you'll need to meet the requirements just to apply to any of the future OTS openings.

Good luck to you!
edited
 
Getting a college degree in and of itself is entirely up to whether or not you want one. It'll be helpful if ATC doesn't work out, but as far as employment as a controller goes, you're correct, it's unnecessary. You will need to show three (not four) years of progressive responsibility at work, though, if you elect to skip college. Otherwise, three years of college work will suffice.

What's important, as you've picked up on, is the CTI portion. An applicant can have multiple aviation degrees, thousands of flight hours, and be a better candidate that some current controllers, but without a CTI endorsement, he'll have to apply via the same PUBNAT that every other OTS (off the street) candidate has to.

The above poster isn't entirely correct on his description of CTI, but he's close. Here are the main advantages of CTI:

1. The application process, from the day your application is submitted to when you would start the Academy, tends to be shorter.
2. CTI applications are more or less always open. OTS ones have trickled down to two openings a year.
3. CTIs are usually given more options for geographic preferences than OTS are. OTS gets two. CTI options have varied for each panel between two, three and five.
4. Generally speaking, CTI applicants are preferred over OTS during the selection panels, when people are placed in facilities. They are looked at first, and are hired in greater numbers, percentage-wise. Exactly how much is open to speculation, but the difference is significant.
5. CTI applicants who are hired get to skip the Basics course at the Academy.

All of those apply only if a CTI grad is hired off the CTI track. If you graduate CTI, but are picked up off an OTS application, you'll be treated like an OTS applicant. You won't get any advantages for your education, at least in the FAA's eyes. You'll be bored to death during Basics (as will most people who have aviation experience), but at least you'll be getting paid for it.

That's about it. After you're hired, nobody cares that you're CTI. Passing the PV, the time in which you check out, and wash out rates are all about the same as OTS. You won't get paid any differently. Tangibly, you're paying that money to get a hiring advantage, although the education is obviously valuable, so long as you're paying attention.

Some people apply via the OTS (PUBNAT) path while attending a CTI school. That's not a bad idea, as long as you're willing to drop out to pursue your career. Whatever you end up doing, if you get picked up on the OTS path, don't quit your classes until you have an Academy date. Things happen all the time to slow things down, and it'd be bad to jump ship expecting to go in the Academy in a month or two only to find out that your medical is delayed or whatever. About the only exception to that, I'd think, would be if you were at the end of the semester and you had a TOL -- then you could avoid losing that tuition money.

I didn't go CTI myself... ATC is a second career for me. If I knew then that I wanted to do ATC as a career, it'd probably be a toss-up for me between going CTI or going the military path. College is good insurance in case you change your mind; people decide ATC isn't for them and if you don't have that educational background, you're stuck. Besides, it's a unique experience that you can't really try to do at a later point in life. Military has its own benefits as well; they pay for your education, you'd be working actual traffic, you start in the FAA being paid more, and you'll be serving your country (what can I say, I'm a patriot). By the time I changed careers, though, I was 27... too late for the military, and I didn't realize the advantages of CTI until I was far enough in my application that it wasn't worth the trouble.

Good luck with your decision.
 
You will need to show three (not four) years of progressive responsibility at work, though, if you elect to skip college. Otherwise, three years of college work will suffice.

The above poster isn't entirely correct on his description of CTI, but he's close. Here are the main advantages of CTI:

.

OP I was being general so I apologize if I left out the detail but I'm sure you've touched upon them looking through the sticky's. If you haven't checked them out, especially swinte00 - although its for OTS, it gives you a break down for what to expect. And Thank you Rosstafari for describing the CTI.

Just to add though:
3 years of full-time (40hour a week) progressive work experience and/or
4 years course of study learning leading to a Bachelor's degree. Combination of both is accepted - 1 year of undergraduate study is equivalent to 9 months of general work experience.
OP you can do the math to balance work and school for whatever decision your going to make.

Good luck!
 
Thanks everybody for the help. I will for sure go to college. It would be great if someone could help me: should i just go to a state school and get a different degree or should I go to North Dakota to get my ATC?
 
Why don't you go to St. Cloud State, it's a CTI school and very affordable. My tuition for fall was $2800 (15 credits).



I know 3 people (I'm one of them) who do not have a degree or 4 years work experience and got passed to take the AT-SAT. One will be a junior in college, myself and the other guy seniors.
 
And Thank you Rosstafari for describing the CTI.

Yeah, I talk lots.

4 years course of study learning leading to a Bachelor's degree. Combination of both is accepted - 1 year of undergraduate study is equivalent to 9 months of general work experience.

That's right. Good clarification, thanks.

I know 3 people (I'm one of them) who do not have a degree or 4 years work experience and got passed to take the AT-SAT. One will be a junior in college, myself and the other guy seniors.

They don't really look too carefully at the initial application; people get through to the AT-SAT who don't fully meet the work requirements from time to time. It's not unusual.
 
For the 3 years experience can you be a little more specific on the details? I'm 21 with 2 full years of work experience but an additional 4 years of part time work. Under those guide lines would I qualify for 3 years work experience?
 
For the 3 years experience can you be a little more specific on the details? I'm 21 with 2 full years of work experience but an additional 4 years of part time work. Under those guide lines would I qualify for 3 years work experience?

Yes, you should qualify, so long as you can add those four years together to get a year of full-time (30-40 hours a week) employment's worth.

They won't split hairs too much on that one. Of course, it'd be good to prove that you've had progressive responsibility in that work. If not for your app, it'll be a part of your interview.
 
They don't really look too carefully at the initial application; people get through to the AT-SAT who don't fully meet the work requirements from time to time. It's not unusual.

Not sure, I'll have my degree in May so maybe that's why. I also took some ATC classes at my CTI school so maybe that might help.
 
Yes, you should qualify, so long as you can add those four years together to get a year of full-time (30-40 hours a week) employment's worth.

They won't split hairs too much on that one. Of course, it'd be good to prove that you've had progressive responsibility in that work. If not for your app, it'll be a part of your interview.

Ok thats good to hear, obviously I wont be applying until pubnat 9 at the earliest so I will have even more work time in by the time I ever get around to an interview but I was consernd as I do not want to wait another year to apply.
 
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