military atc vs OTS vs CTI

I'm not really sure of the reason for this post. All three are completely different.

Military ATC - has experience
CTI - has classroom experience
OTS - has no experience (except for maybe a few pilots in the mix)

Three means to an end.
 
blakehanson said:
Hey guys,

Was wondering what you guys thought.

Military ATC vs OTS vs CTI

pros and cons

Let me have it! Thanks everyone!!
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Are you asking which route to take? Go the military (air force) ATC route. Pretty much guaranteed an FAA job when you get out.
 
nathanw said:
Are you asking which route to take? Go the military (air force) ATC route. Pretty much guaranteed an FAA job when you get out.
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ya, but you have to deal with B.S. AF for all 4 years of your enlistment. Get stuck in a base you might hate and all the politics of the military.
 
ya, but you have to deal with B.S. AF for all 4 years of your enlistment. Get stuck in a base you might hate and all the politics of the military.
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so are you gonna do it or not?:)
 
ya, but you have to deal with B.S. AF for all 4 years of your enlistment. Get stuck in a base you might hate and all the politics of the military.
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Is it still 4 years? Thought they moved it to 6 years.
 
i already put in my 4 years :crazy:
You can enlist for either 4 or 6 years. I think if they made enlistments for a mandatory 6 years, there would be little retention.
 
ATC in the Air Force is a 6 year enlistment.

Personally, I liked active duty. I just hated my job. (I was supply on active duty :crazy:) They wouldn't let me cross train into ATC, so I got out. I thought about going back active duty, but then I got picked up by ZID, so I decided to go that route.
 
Correct, but other jobs are only 4. I came in wanting to do ATC or something flying, inflight refuel, engineer, etc.... The stuck me on the opposite side of the flight line at the hospital. Pharmacy Tech, lol
 
are you guaranteed ATC training in the air force?... I always imagined some skills assessment and you end up like biggm16 as a pharmacy tech wether you wanted it or not.

As for me, I turn 31 in July and just happened upon the whole OTS ATC career field and I was fortunate enough to get a PEPC date and a TOL...
That being said, it sounds like the PUBNAT anouncements will soon dry up at least for a while and if you've got the time & money the CTI option would have been very attractive. The PUBNAT's are just a golden ticket!
 
ATC initial commitment in the Navy is only 5 yrs compared to the AF's 6. I can't speak intelligently on Army or Marine ATC commitment timeframes. Only downside to Navy ATC is that you could get stuck working traffic on a carrier or amphibious assault ship, where you won't get a CTO and your work experience doesn't translate into any shore based ATC (happened to me...that's why I'm applying OTS, even though I have 5 years on the mic, vectoring traffic). Regardless, if you go the military route, make sure the recruiter puts it in writing that you are guaranteed the ATC MOS (or AC rate if you go Navy), after that there are no guarantees. You could rock out of the school house after basic training, or you could fail your medical screening, in which case you would be relegated to a different, and often times much worse job...just a gamble you have to take if you go that route...just remember, nothing in the military is guaranteed unless it is in writing (and even then be prepared to get shafted)
 
ATCJefe said:
ATC initial commitment in the Navy is only 5 yrs compared to the AF's 6. I can't speak intelligently on Army or Marine ATC commitment timeframes. Only downside to Navy ATC is that you could get stuck working traffic on a carrier or amphibious assault ship, where you won't get a CTO and your work experience doesn't translate into any shore based ATC (happened to me...that's why I'm applying OTS, even though I have 5 years on the mic, vectoring traffic). Regardless, if you go the military route, make sure the recruiter puts it in writing that you are guaranteed the ATC MOS (or AC rate if you go Navy), after that there are no guarantees. You could rock out of the school house after basic training, or you could fail your medical screening, in which case you would be relegated to a different, and often times much worse job...just a gamble you have to take if you go that route...just remember, nothing in the military is guaranteed unless it is in writing (and even then be prepared to get shafted)
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If I remember correctly (it's been 12 years), when you go to MEPS the first time (at least in the air force), that is where you can make sure you have a guaranteed job (MOS or AFSC).
 
I learned the hard way. There are 2 ways to get a job. First is through your recruiter so you will know what job you will have before basic training. Second is going in open general and have to pick a job at basic training. You will onlt get to pick a few crappy jobs doing it that way.
 
biggm16 said:
I learned the hard way. There are 2 ways to get a job. First is through your recruiter so you will know what job you will have before basic training. Second is going in open general and have to pick a job at basic training. You will onlt get to pick a few crappy jobs doing it that way.
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I went in open electronics. I got a pretty good job but after my 4 years I cross-trained and went reserve.
 
if u go military, u might not be guaranteed a CTO and then ur essentially just OTS with a couple VRA points
 
I have conducted a study that says that 100% of everyone who is anyone prefers OTS to all the other types of hires.

OTS learn at a 347% faster rate than other forms of hires.

OTS are 86% more satisfied with their career choice.

12 out of 13 Co-Workers and trainers recommend OTS hiring practices over other methods.

Disclaimer: Poll was conducted by an OTS hire. However, it was completely un-biased.
 
I don't think there really is any difference between hiring from any of the 3 pools. What it all boils down to is an applicant's drive and determination... or G.A.S. (Give A Poop), for you military guys. Going any of the 3 routes will get you to your goal of being an ATCS if you properly jump through all of the necessary hoops.

The OTS group, however, faces one significant problem. It is my opinion, that within the next few years, the FAA will eliminate OTS hiring. The writing is on the wall. They are trying to add more and more CTI schools each year. The controller workforce needs new blood right now and they need OTS hiring to meet their numbers, otherwise they would not have enough applicants from the VRA and CTI pools. There are about 16,000 controllers in the workforce and that number needs to stay where it is. Every year, over the next 10-12 years, the FAA has predicted to lose between 1,000-1,200 controllers due to retirement. With the FAA adding more CTI schools each year, they are trying to increase the number of aviation-educated applicants to most likely eliminate having to hire any Average Joe off the street. I'm sure they feel that people with an aviation background have a smaller chance of washing out than an OTS applicant, even though this is definitely not always the case. Therefore, in a few years, I would expect that all applicants trying to become an ATCS must have either a CTI education or VRA background. If they can increase those 2 pools large enough to suit their hiring needs, there would be no need to turn to OTS hiring.
 
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