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About David A. NewMyer
Expertise
Can advise people thinking about beginning and aviation career and espcially those thinking about an aviation university program. Can also help with aviation scholarship questions. I am particularly strong in questions related to starting a flight career, choosing a university flight or aviation management program, aviation internships and aviation scholarships. Also, I can assist with questions about airport management and planning careers and oveall aviation industry employment questions.

Experience

Past/Present Clients
Prepared In addition to aviation education, I work at a major university, I have worked as an airport planner preparing airport system plans, airport master plan and environmental assessment reports for the Chicago area in general and for several individual Illinois airports.

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Careers: Flying & Aviation - 18 month programs

Expert: David A. NewMyer - 10/18/2009

Question
Do you know if there are other 18 month programs for Air Traffic Control besides UAA in Alaska? I'm 28 and trying to finish a school so I can get hired by age 31. I assume that starting a two-year sequence next fall 2010 and graduating a month before I turn 31 is cutting it way too close...correct?
Does 6 months (if I did the 18 month program) give me adequate time to get hired? Thanks for your help!!

Answer
Hi,

There are two parts to your question:

1. Part 1: 18 month AT-CTI programs.

The answer there is that you will have to check with each of the 31 AT-CTI schools to see what is available. I would guess that the community colleges on the list would be the best ones to check with in terms of that available option. The AT-CTI list is at:

www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/service_units/acquistion/aja51/cti/AT-CTI_Schools.cfm

Or just go to http://www.faa.gov/ and search for the AT-CTI programs on their site.

2. Would six months be enough time to get hired?

This would depend entirely on the "window" of job openings at the FAA. Normally, they do not do a lot of hiring right at the end of the federal fiscal year(August and Sept) or right at the beginning (in October). So, the best time to try for employment will be other than during those months, in a typical year. Your best bet is to monitor the FAA website and check the openings on that site every couple of weeks to see what is posted: http://www.faa.gov/jobs/

The schools with the best reputation, in my view, are those that have been doing it for a while, most notably the Community College of Beaver County, Univ of Alaska at Anchorage, Mt. San Antonio College and the Minneaopolis Community and Technical College.

I wish you the best in your search for an 18 month AT-CTI school.

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
http://www.aviation.siu.edu

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