Hey guys, apologize if this has been answered before but I'm at an impasse and I need to make a decision. I work on the tech ops side of the house at a major airport. I absolutely love my job, I work with great people, the money isn't bad and I enjoy going to work every day. I was given a tentative offer letter today after taking the ATC test on a whim. I have 5 days to respond and I'm not sure what to do as it is a huge risk. If I leave my job, there's no guarantee I'll get it back if I fail out. ATC would be a huge pay increase after training for me, which would be nice, but I also don't want to be miserable in my job. So basically, I don't know if I should stay doing what I love, or make a huge risk and try out something new and possibly fail out and be unemployed, or possibly pass and dislike the job. Is there anyone around who had a similar decision to make? I appreciate your time and thanks for reading.
ATSS to ATC
- Thread starter RTMMTR71
- Start date
I made 100k+ before Atc, and would probably make 300k or more in the following few years, loved my job, yada yada. I left for Atc because I wanted to be challenged, passed everything and it all worked out.
If you pass up on it, you will play the “what if” game for the rest of your life. With experience, if worst case scenario you fail out, you will more than likely pick up a tech ops jobs fairly quickly. Good luck.
If you pass up on it, you will play the “what if” game for the rest of your life. With experience, if worst case scenario you fail out, you will more than likely pick up a tech ops jobs fairly quickly. Good luck.
Last edited:
It says terminal as the specialty on the offer letter. I'm not entirely sure what that means but I can offer a guess
You'll be going to a tower or approach control, most likely the former. All but a handful have a training success rate above 50% (N90, A80, LAX), with most averaging somewhere around 75-80%. The odds are with you.
Last edited:
If you make it through the academy, which seems to be the biggest hurdle atm for the majority, you can expect to go to a level 4-7 tower or up/down. Like lowapproach said, the pass rates are on your side in that regard and you really shouldn't have a tough time certifying and then transferring down the road. I guess you really just have to weigh the pro's & con's of leaving your current position. Best of luck in your decision!
The terminal life was very attractive to me. I love small town living so ending up in a regional tower like DLH, TVC, or GRB would be cool...but I would be pretty bummed with regards to earning potential at a level 4-7. I ended up getting Enroute which is I think the best course to take for my life goals money wise.
About half the centers are in places with great cost-of-living/salary balance. The other half, well, not so much.
Boston's not awful. It's across the state line in Nashua, New Hampshire, so if you want to live more cheaply than the Boston metro area, you can. Not an option at ZLA, ZOA or ZNY.
I’m also tech ops transitioning to ATC. I’m currently waiting for my FOL for enroute, but I’m trying to switch to terminal. It’s hard to leave a job where you have three day weekends and all holidays off, but I’ve loved planes since I was a kid. The money would be better, but quality of life takes a hit. Just make sure you do it for the right reasons. And my boss told the district manager about me going ATC and I was told that they would hold my job for me in case I were to wash out, so your boss might be willing to do that for you.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yeah I do because I’m GNAS and I’m not at one of the major airports
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk