Anonymous wrote:ATCs are hard jobs that pay well but absolutely wreck your family life. Worse than the military on family life, IMHO.

You work long shifts, its high stress the entire shift, the shift times don't align with a normal work day so its hard to do basic kid stuff and errands, work on weekends, high likelihood that you are called in on your days off due to shortages, you never get off for a public holiday, etc.

It's a job well suited for people in their 20s or 30s with no kids or a spouse. Not a great environment for women (but that's true of entire aviation industry).

ATC starting salary $61k a year. Is that great pay? Starting pay- $76k for a heavy equipment operator, $66k to start going to $72k a year after 18 month as a DC policeman, apprentice plumbers in DMV make $52-77k a year, etc. All these job pay more at each level of experience vs ATC.

ATC are federal employees who have been attacked by Republicans for years and years. Everyone knows there is no future in this kind work. Why go through the process with its low pay, no job security, long hours, etc. only to be attacked by Congress and the president?

You'd have to be nuts. You have to be trained before you can work, and this capricious, idiotic, DUI leadership might throw you out at any time.

No one else needs to higher a trained air traffic controller, so the training would be wasted

Anonymous wrote:The Trump transportation secretary wants to hire and train new ATC employees as they're chronically understaffed
I wonder if applying for federal government jobs is currently unattractive to youngsters who just witnessed huge random layoffs, or is it any port in a storm?

$61k a year and white males only!

Anonymous wrote:Don't worry. They will use AI instead. No need for people.

Honestly using AI for this kind of task seems to make sense but zero trust in Musk developing it.

Huh … almost as if … programs to reach populations of kids who could be good at this job by were historically excluded … could be a good way to develop the pipeline!! Hmmm.

Anonymous wrote:Don't worry. They will use AI instead. No need for people.

Yup. Big Balls is coding that up as we speak.

Don't worry. They will use AI instead. No need for people.

Anonymous wrote:The Trump transportation secretary wants to hire and train new ATC employees as they're chronically understaffed
I wonder if applying for federal government jobs is currently unattractive to youngsters who just witnessed huge random layoffs, or is it any port in a storm?

Why does the FAA webpage say the application window is closed?
They also say this:
Training, Hours, Pay, and Benefits
Entry-level applicants must complete required training courses and spend several months at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. After graduating the academy, individuals are placed in locations across the country and must gain 1-3 years on-the-job experience before becoming a certified professional controller. Controllers work full-time and some work additional hours. Many of our facilities operate continuously (24/7/365), where employees work day, evening and night shifts, along with weekends and holidays.

There was an interview on NPR last year about the ATC crisis. I forget what the attrition rate is in training, but it's pretty high, and between the capacity to take on new students, the attrition, and people retiring even then we were basically looking at a net decline.

Aside from all of the negatives already stated, add to them the fact that federal workers are condemned as parasites by conservatives.

They did the same thing to teachers. Now we have a massive teacher shortage.

ATCs are hard jobs that pay well but absolutely wreck your family life. Worse than the military on family life, IMHO.

You work long shifts, its high stress the entire shift, the shift times don't align with a normal work day so its hard to do basic kid stuff and errands, work on weekends, high likelihood that you are called in on your days off due to shortages, you never get off for a public holiday, etc.

It's a job well suited for people in their 20s or 30s with no kids or a spouse. Not a great environment for women (but that's true of entire aviation industry).

Why would anyone apply? If you're on the shift where radar goes out or DOGE's new system has a glitch, you will end up in the news. If a plane actually crashes you will be called a DEI hire and blamed for the whole thing.

Who wants to work for someone who makes sweeping decisions on a whim?

Even the Feds I know who have kept their jobs are all on edge and waiting for the next email or Tweet that tells them that they're fired.

Duffy has been a vocal opponent of Musk/DOGE. But agree, no one will want a government job after all the layoffs and bad mouthing.

The GOP gutted a bill in 2023 that would have funded the hiring and training of hundreds of ATC's. Now, with the layoffs, RIFs and other departures, the system is on the verge of collapse. Maybe the GOP needs to better understand the purpose of government in a 21st century, global society and stop effing around to "own the libs"

The Trump transportation secretary wants to hire and train new ATC employees as they're chronically understaffed
I wonder if applying for federal government jobs is currently unattractive to youngsters who just witnessed huge random layoffs, or is it any port in a storm?