my wife and i are wanting some stability in our lives. i need a real career.....i would love to be an Air Traffic Controller for the FAA. but you need CTI training, which i cannot get in charlotte nc. the closest credited cti school to me is tennessee or georgia. i have been all over atc forums asking questions, and everything leads back to joining the airforce. iam 22.....with a 22 month old son. i have a highschool deploma, and some college credits. not many. is this something i should look into? will i be able to provide for my family? is 4 years the minimum id have to be active? whats the chances of me going over-seas and seeing combat? how long will i be away from my family....i know these are many questions....but this is a gigantic decision....but i want to own a home, i want to make good money, i want to do something i enjoy. i want to retire at a young age. i want my son to have a good life. thanks. chris.
Brother Chris you could check into the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps as for being an air traffic controller. The least you could do was 3 years when I was in. You will probably have to do testing first to see if your eval scores are high enough to qualify for schooling. I know the Air Force you need to get a slot for schooling. The Marine Corps you need to get your contract in writing for sure what you are going to do while in. It it his hard to say if you would go over seas right away or not. In the Marine Corps un-accompanied tours were 12 months back in 1993. I am not sure what they are now. That means you go by yourself. If it is an accompanied tour it is usually 3 years, and they pay for you to transport your family with you. You may want to find out some bases where an air traffic controllers will be stationed at by talking to a recruiter. Then talk to service men and women in the field, and see what they think, and what they can tell you. By no means do you sign any paperwork by a recruiter unless you fully read it, and understand it. I hope the little I know helps. Best of luck on your quest bro.
Wow, Chris, it seems like a tough time to start a career in the military. Interestingly, though, I came this close to a career as an air traffic controller out of college. I remember looking at a brochure for a school in Oklahoma City thinking "Hmmmm ..." Didn't happen, though.
yea well, the timing like you said.....is tough. wife is having trouble grasping everything.....its just an option. i wish i was closer to a CTI school. i could maybe get the certification needed through the national guard. but i dunno.....its just an option. im just sick of being happy with 26k a year......im sick of thinking 10 bucks an hour is good enough to skim bye......tired of it. i dunno.
It is definitely the way to go. With the way the economy is, there aren't too many options, and the military is a great one. I just graduated from college with an associates in Information Technologies and have been unable to find a job. Being from a military family, I've decided to get an IT type of job in the Army. Should be heading to the MEPS Center next week hopefully. I looked into both the Air Force and Army, and I must say, the Air Force looks like a great opportunity. To answer your questions. Should you look into the military? Absolutely. The military is great, great opportunity. You will more than be able to provide for your family. Great pay including a signing bonus. A LOT of great benefits. There's the Montogomery GI Bill which provides the funds to go to college among many other great benefits. From what I recall, the Air Force is indeed under a 4 year active service commitment. The chances of you seeing combat varies with the type of job you're going to be doing. Not sure how long you'd be away from your family. Basic Training is 8 and a half weeks long for the Air Force IIRC. And FFIC brings up a very good point. Don't sign anything without thoroughly reading over it a few times. My recommendation would be to go talk to a recruiter. Take the ASVAB and see what's available for you. If you score over a 60, you should have a lot of options available to you. Well hopefully I have helped a little bit. Being in the process of joining the Army (almost complete), I've done a lot of researching for both the Army and Air Force, so if there's anything else you want to know, just ask
what should i expect on the asvab? i havent been in school for a few years....what should i study and dust up on?
But you also have to consider important things too like... 1. you wont be able to watch many dolphin games. 2. you wont be able to do anymore shows for us.
I just took my ASVAB 2 weeks ago. Scored a 78, 2nd highest from our group. Some girl scored a whopping 96. I'm pretty sure the ASVAB for the Army and Air Force are the same as far as types of questions go. There's 8 parts to the ASVAB: General Science - Just General science questions. Life science, earth science, etc. I found this part of the test quite hard, mostly because I was horrible at science in high school, and nothing's changed Arithmetic Reasoning - Basic math problems. I found this quite easy, but I'm also somewhat of a math nerd. You get a blank sheet of paper that you can use to work out the problems Mathematics Knowledge - Harder than the Arithmetic Reasoning part. You get a alot of word math problems here. If you don't remember much about math from school, I'd advise to study up on it. The math is probably the most important part of the ASVAB. Word Knowledge - Basically all "This word most closely resembles what word?" type of questions. You'll be given a word, and 4 multiple choice options. Your job is to pick the word that means the same as the main word. Pretty easy if you have a good vocabulary. Some words I had never even heard before though. Paragraph Comprehension - You'll get a little excerpt to read. You'll get a few questions based on the excerpt. Fairly easy. Electronics information - Not too easy for me. You get alot of questions based on electrical circuits, currents and things of that nature. Not my strong point at all. Auto and Shop Information - Questions about Auto repair and maintenance as well as Wood and Metal shop practices. I did pretty good in this one. Mechanical Comprehension - Mechanical type questions. Again, not strong point of mine. I didn't think the test was too hard. Here's a good link about the ASVAB that includes lots of information as well as practice tests. http://www.military.com/ASVAB Also make sure to eat a good meal and get good sleep beforehand. The ASVAB is about 3 hours long.
Maybe you have already done the homework and talked to some air traffic controllers but if not, I can tell you that from what I've been told, it is a seriously high stress job. I had a friend that was a controller at Miami Int. and the head of the local union at the time they tried to strike and Reagan fired them all. One of the main reasons they were disgruntled was because they didn't feel they were being compensated well enough for the stress and what that brings He was telling me that for himself and many others, the consequences were ending up an alcoholic, divorce, alienation from family and etc... Not that I'm an expert on the matter, just relaying what i was told......
the asvab is. Multi part test that you really can't study up on. I took it in the middle of college when I was thinking of leaving Clemson to become a NAVY Seal. I scored a 96 on it after being out of high school for 3 or 4 years. My scores got me into their Nuclear Engineering Program, for which I had to take a specific test for that and passed. I made it all the way to bootcamp up at the Great Lakes. I was your age, too, so it was a little hard for me to give up my identity at that time after already becoming an adult. It was a little too strict and regimented for me and I was told things that were not true: like my term was 4 years when in fact it was 6, that I would receive a 15k bonus after boot camp....but it was actually after graduating from 2 years of Nuke school that is supposedly harder to graduate from than Harvard Law. I ended up BS'ing my way out for an honorable discharge bc I wasn't sure if 6 years was for me. There's a part of me that wishes I stayed with it, but it's all good. I believe you can take the test and see what all you qualify for and see if any of it strikes your fancy. ATC's make some serious money, but also have the highest suicide rates. Getting a nursing degree can be a good jumpstsrt into something, believe it or not. You get paid very well (2-3Xs what you make now) and u can work overtime & half. The benefits can be good and you can continue schooling to higher honors/degrees like Nurse Practicioner (acting as a DR almost), PA (Physicians Assistant), Nurse Mgmt, Nurse Anasthatist, and even use your field knowledge to get onto medial supply sales and Pharmaceutical sales. With how the economy is, this is the road I wouldve taken. There's less income stress and a lot of places will pay nice sign on bonuses etc. UNC paid my wife $15k to move from Fla for a 2 year contract along with the 70k+ she gets from salary. The demand is high for all of it. I'd try and work toward being a nurse practicioner and 100k+ income potential. How about training to be a Physical therapists assistant.....and from there take online or night classes to become a therapist? Whatever you do, pick one field and stay in it. Bouncing around is what kills you, and you're only 22 so it's definitely not too late to go through more schooling. You'll find out 10 years from now that it's NEVER to late to want to go back to school, but it's definitely easier at the age your at. If you think you can handle ATC job, then go after it! I hope you're a very quick thinker with an active mind and can handle stress well. If u can, then u might be perfect for it. Posted via Mobile Device
ATC's have a high rate of coke and crystal meth addicts to help with the stress and mental rigors/fatigue of the job. Posted via Mobile Device
I want to clear up some thing I read on here: No, not all ASVAB score are viewed the same across the Military services. Although your scores maybe the same, each service breaks them down differently to their respect branch. The Air Force is the hardest scoring meaning a 78 raw score in the Army is only a 65 or so in the Air Force. If I remember correctly it breaks down like this in terms of harshness in scoring. Air Force Marines Navy Army I am not trying to discourage you, just prepare you. Now, if you can support your family, you’re the only one that can decide that. How much are you bills vs. Military pay? Here is a pay chart make sure you read it as Married with dependents. Also not included in the pay chart is BAH (Basic allowance for Housing) It varies from city to city and whether or not you have Base housing. I read you have College credits, that’s good, depending on how many you have you can start with an automatic promotion up to E-4. Other factors to consider, a steady pay check, heath insurance, and other such benefits. Think it over, it’s a big step but could be a rewarding one.
You can go to the local library and take pre-test for it. They have books on the ASVAB. Bold is True. There are pro's and con's. I spent 24 years in the Air Force. Retired 3 years ago. Now, everymorning I wake up I get paid for. One of the benefits. At first, your pay will not be that much, but the medical and free housing make up for some of it. When you get promoted, you'll make more and have it easier both on the job and financially. What ever you do...make sure you have a guaranteed job in that field before signing anything. Alot of recruiters will tell you to go in an "open" catagory and the job will open up before you get finished with training. NOT USUALLY TRUE. Best of luck to you. Keep us informed.
thats 2 questions. air traffic controller involves communication (which i thrive on) it pays real good, retire in 25 years from the FAA....or even get a contract tower job over-seas for fat money, and tons of incentives. its a good career, retire at 47 sounds fantastic. great government benefits etc and 2. i could not get the federal grants because i was defaulted on student loans (i have sense gotten them out of default) and iam paying them all back
yeah awesome, maybe you should look into a career as stitches' understudy. awww I see. How long till you pay off your loans? Only thing I would suggest is keep doing research, think of a couple more things you might want to look into as a career and research those as well. I definately, though, wouldn't base my decision on early retirement. The way the economy is it may became harder and harder to comfortably retire. Is there anything else you might want to do? What about getting back into the radio business?
haha just messin the radio business is a joke. revolving door enless your a on-air talent. but you have to have experience on air to get on air.....so its tough. iam not just basing the decision however on retirement alone, the median income for an ATC is above 80k salary, with government benefits. its a very good career, something i would love to do.
i know im just saying i wouldnt even consider it a factor. thats all. i would just caution you against doing anything because you are frustrated, and jumping to quick into a career.
your right....i just found out i may be getting a promotion at suntrust, moving into investment banking at a charlotte uptown branch, alot of chances for upward movement.....iam still young...i think iam just stressed about money and trying to find all my options out.
yeah man. just look over your options. you might get bored of where you are at so think of some back up plans, then set them up. Work on paying off your loan so you can get another loan, go back too school,etc. Main things are know you have options, its not the end of the world or you are not where you want to be right now, two investigate, and plan.
Good luck Brother, I hope it works out for you! As for missing you son childhood, I would be lying it I told you no, because it may or may not. There are several factors that play into that.
my wife is very into the benefits that come with military.....the housing, the tax-free shopping on base, the security, the schools, the jobs, the pay, the retirment......its still something, iam very much considering...im setting up an interview with a recruiter soon.
Depending on your military job...you wouldn't have to misss anything for your family. The Air Force is almost like a 7:30 - 4:30 job depending what your career field is.
Brother Chris, do your home work ahead of your interview with the recruiter. Have real good questions for him or her. Don't seemed all jacked up, because then will try to lure you in, and you may not want to get what you want. Check other services like I mentioned. Always keep your options open. I am not trying to scare you bro, your wife likes all the benes, but she will have to have give and takes as a married spouse of a military member. By that there will be times when she will have to be the rock of the family while you are away. If you have a rock solid marriage that will be a blessing. If you have any questions please post here, pm me, or I can give you my cell phone number as well. Best of luck in your search, and your future success.
Chris, if you really want to be an ATC then go after it full speed ahead man!! If not, you might regret it later. It's better to make the concessions for a few years now to set yourself up for a lifetime of success and happiness, rather than be happier now but with a lifetime of concessions after that. Pearls of wisdom right there. LOL. Do you have any OCD tendencies and can multi task well?
there's a lot of great careers out there bro. i have a 2 year old, and the thought of going a week without seeing her gives me chest pains. but you have the bigger picture in mind and are in a different situation. and its admirable that you are willing to sacrifice for a better future for you all. have you considered being a cop or a teacher? both are great careers. great pensions and benefits, with tons of time off. and once you get a few years in, the pay is nice too. but this all comes back to one thing i think, a college degree. i mean, spending the initial 4 years in the military, and all that time away, the modest money you earn going to your family's maintenance, with not a ton left for savings. and then you still will need additional schooling and certification after. the military really doesn't seem like the fast track to a career and where you want to be. How many credits away from a degree are you? i'll be honest, if you have 30 or so credits, and with summer sessions and winterims, you could knock out a degree in kinesiology in 3 or so years, and i bet you'd be pretty damn happy. you love sports and athletics. a job as a gym teacher, workload wise, is not hard at all. you'd probably easily find a spot as football coach too, since you have a pedigree there. you're talking about the best benefits, 180 days off a year, when you retire you get close to 2/3 of your salary every year til you die from your pension, and all this for a pretty damn pleasant job. i mean, unless being an atc is your dream job, i'd do something like this. i run 2 companies with my brothers. but i was smart enough to finish my degree, just incase things went bad with business or the economy. lets just say, i could one day end up having a bunch of 8th grade history students calling me Mr.Daddy8! If you have a clear dream, like radio or sports media, you should pursue it. but otherwise, think hard about what you want to do and what you're willing to do for it. you have a family, and you cant be starting different paths over and over. especially when they are all relatively long and difficult.
got some money to pay tuition? i am far from getting my college degree. i was going to go to adult night school here and get my teaching degree (i would love to teach and coach football) but i just cant afford it. i qualified for grants that would pretty much cover everything, but i have some bad loans from the first time i went to college....iam currently trying to pay those now.....itll take a long time...but i eventually will probably be a teacher, the summers off, winter vacation spring break, weekends and to be able to coach is amazing to think about
i think you can still get student loans no? and now that you're a father, i bet you can get tons of financial aid. even you say it, you qualify for grants. i'm sure theres some sort of advisor you could talk to and get you on the right path. holli knows a lot about this stuff too. working full-time and married, i finished my degree. you can do it too. if you want to be a teacher, go do it. you could definitely make that happen. and you wont miss a thing at home either.
my past loans are in default....i qualify but cannot receive any federal grants or aid while i have loans in default....and loans are not "out of default" until they are paid off.....fml
put your loans in deferment for the time being....that takes them out of default. Posted via Mobile Device
A piece of advice for your chat with an Air Force recruiter. If you really want a job as ATC do not enlist "open general", or open anything. Make sure you go in with your job guaranteed. If you go in open general the air force will put you into what ever opening they need you in, about 3 weeks into basic training. I joined about 12 years ago, maybe things have changed but if you have your heart set on one job get it guaranteed in writing before you go. ATC will require shift work so you can expect to work weekends/holidays. You will probably deploy alot in that field, but it may have a re-enlistment bonus as it is usually undermanned. Since you have some college ask your recruiter if you are eligible to earn stripes right out of basic. Some folks can graduate basic training with one or two stripes but most start out with none. A friend of my wife's is an ATC in the AF, if you have some questions I can pass them along and let you know.
Chris, I did 10 years in the USAF and have no regrets. It is a strain on a young family though. The bills will work themselves out in time. One day you will look back at the struggles and chuckle about it all. Looking forward to meeting you in person tomorrow!
yikes, a lot of misinformation in this thread! i went to ATC school, although ultimately i was a combat controller. i will say it is very high stress and very demanding. you will see deployments, and yes, you will be away from your family. the upside is all the military benefits. i have a friend locally who is an ATC at Boeing Field here in Seattle. They're in dire need of ATC's, and i know here at one point they were offering to train you (including paying for your school) with a commitment to them for work - but that's just local to here and i don't know if they're still offering that. i don't know what the offers are in your area, but if you look just outside your immediate area you might find something similar. given your family situation, that might make more sense for you, if you're open to moving. the reality is that opportunities are largely regional. different areas will have different needs, and thus different incentives. either way you'd have to move, so it really is up to you. the military would require you to go to basic, and then tech school - which would largely be time away from your family, plus you'd see deployments. can you handle that? if so, then it's something to consider. my friend on the civilian side says benefits are just as good as the military, with retirement in 20 years, etc. one important thing to think of - as a rookie to the field, you'll be working a lot of mid and swing shifts, which means you'll be sleeping during the day and working at night. this is also not conducive to being with your family much. food for thought.
is that opening in seattle for civilians? if so i would apply. seriously....my wife and i have discussed moving anywhere for ATC job. great pay, great benefits, and liek you said retire in 20 years.
you can read from a local guy that is talking about the job here: http://weareecs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=5565 better information than any of us from here.
ya i knew all that.....the PUBNATS (public announcements) arent happening again till january (rumor)...i would gladly go to a CTI certified school.....but wouldnt you know it? there are none in the state of north carolina (home of the first flight) that makes sense right? so iam SOL until there is a pubnat for people off the streets.....or if i can find a place lik you mentioned that will pay for schooling with a contract to work for them. once i get a CTO i can then get hired by the FAA....which would kick ***
are you absolutely sure this is something you want to do? or are you just drawn by the benefits? I ask because it really is a love-it-or-hate-it job, working thankless hours, and the attrition rate while in tech school/training is well over 90%. Just saying the odds are not in your favor, which raises the stakes if you're considering relocating your family for this. i wish you the best sir
He is right, the Air Force has alot of jobs that don't deploy as much, straight hours, and can get you great careers on the outside as well. If you join the AF and washout of ATC school, you might end up with a job that might not be to your satisfaction.
