Rosstafari
Likes tacos
the programs can provide some pretty decent numbers of the students that did make it to the FAA. Now... to believe them or not.
When they've been caught red-handed lying about other things involving their program, I'd go with not. Honest, legit academic programs don't need to lie to get people interested.
Sure. Here it is:
If you apply to be an air traffic controller via the OTS (off the street) route, it's very unlikely that you will be selected.
The competition is too stiff, both from candidates who are required to be considered before you (as in people with prior experience, then CTI apps) and the sheer number of other people applying via the OTS route as well. The FAA has not, to my knowledge, released formal numbers indicating OTS hires vs. OTS applications, but when you extrapolate the other numbers involved -- such as the projected need as described in the FAA's 10 year strategy, the number of CTI grads (most of whom will apply immediately, and most of whom will be selected), and so on -- it paints a grim picture for people choosing to apply via the OTS path in the future.
That's not to say that it wasn't an acceptable choice earlier; from PUBNAT1 to PUBNAT4, the overall percentage of OTS hires seem to have been higher than usual. The drop for PUBNAT5/6 wasn't that huge, either. But the FAA has made it clear that the trend won't continue.
That's also not to say that there isn't hope for PUBNAT7, 8, and whichever subsequent ones will eventually come out. The same figures above make it clear that even if every REINST, CTO, VRA, CTI and other applicant is hired and makes it through to CPC, there still aren't enough people to meet the expected attrition. Therefore, there still has to be some OTS hires. Predicting how high that number may be is notoriously difficult to do, though, even for the FAA.
The conclusion I'd hope any applicant would draw from all this is that they're making a big gamble if they think they'll get in via OTS. Sure, they might. I hope it turns outs well for the people who've had the misfortune of being caught in the limbo between application and TOL (namely, PUBNAT7/8). But even the most optimistic estimates are that maybe 1 in 4 people will get picked.
If you're serious about getting the job, you just can't try to get in OTS. I know, parting with a few thousand is rough, especially when a few hundred people have gotten in previously without spending a dime. But times and need have changed. Consider it your admission fee.
Just my two cents, and what I'd do in that position if it were me. As always, before making any financial move, consult with your advisor to consider short and long term risks blah blah blah.
Depends on the crime and what you've done since then. Since you say you've wrapped up your Bachelor's, and that it was a juvenile adjudication, I'm assuming that its been at least four years, which will work in your favor so long as you've kept clean. You can read some of the appeals for denied clearances here to get an idea of whats prevented people in the past. FederalSoup.com is also a good site if you have some questions; you may want to make an anonymous account and explicitly tell them what you did and what their opinion on it is (in the Background Investigator's forum, of course).
