Is it worth going to a CTI school?

As a firm graduate from the "School of Hard Knocks" I have this to say:

If you are young with not a lot of work experience, go to college. Having a bachelor's degree in something is a major step up over those of us who do not. Whether it is CTI, Aviation related, or whatever, that is your choice. Do what interests you. I cannot tell you how many college graduates I have met making a decent living(My sister included) who are doing things completely unrelated to their field of study in college. The fact you have a degree puts you leaps and bounds in front of those that do not have them.

As far as ATC goes, this is a debate that will never end. The honest answer from CPC's I talk to(especially in En Route which is geared towards training those with zero experience), it doesn't matter if your CTI or OTS. The only things that matter are: Can you adapt yourself to learning this job the way you are taught and can you see traffic? Is an OTS able to do these? yes. Is a CTI able? yes.

So here are some pro's and cons for each:

CTI pro's:

1. COLLEGE EDUCATION
2. Practically guaranteed shot at a job if you pass and get a decent ATSAT score. Noone here can honestly make an arguement that with the hiring going on, you won't get hired if you pass decently.
3. Possibly a better aviation based knowledge and added practice before the academy
4. 5 weeks less at the academy

CTI Con's:

1. Sets you up to possibly believe your entitled to the job since you paid for prior training. Most CTI's I know are not this way, but some are and trust me, they do not last long.
2. Can be very expensive and you might not get a job when your done. If you do get the job, are you going to be able to afford to live with the student loan payments on a lower level pay scale if you don't get a level 11 or 12 facility?
3. It might take longer to get hired.
4. You have to finish the program before you can even find out if you are medically, security, and ATSAT qualified to get the job.
5. May not have enough time to complete the program if your in your mid-late 20's.

OTS Pro's:

1. No school related expenses that you don't already have.
2. Definitely should have no sense of entitlement to the job.
3. Possibly hired faster if your approaching your 31st birthday.

OTS Con's:

1. If your in a career already doing decent, do you really want to give up that security for a job you will have no clue you have for sure for years?
2. Got to win the lottery. Thousands apply not all get selected. If you do get selected, it may take a couple years just to get to the academy. How bad do you want this job? If your heart is set on it, maybe you should get a background in it through CTI or even better the military.
3. Depending on your aviation background, You may have to learn 10 times the amount of information in half the time.
4. more time at the academy

So basically that is what I can add to the plate.

Two other options if your debating whether to go CTI or OTS:

1. If your young enough join the military. No doubt that is the best background to have.
2. Start CTI school and apply OTS. See which one gets there faster.

Sorry for the long post, but one more thing to add. Not all CTI schools are as good as the others. Not all are as expensive either. Do your research and choose wisely. I had a CTI grad in my En Route initial that had no idea what a VORTAC was. Or the difference between a jet route and victor route.

Then again there were guys that had alot of knowledge, but had 100+k loans. Come on really? 100k for this job? Whatever floats your boat, but honestly I wouldn't pay that much for a degree that has a single entry level employer with a track record of not being a good employer. Not unless I was rich or had mom/dad paying for it.
 
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