Expert: Dacus T. Grant - 2/19/2004

Question
Hello Dacus,

I'm am interested in a career in air trafic control, but am concerned with all the talk regarding on-the-job stress.  Would you be able to forward a general pro and con list for this type of work?

Thank you,
Johanna

Answer
Johanna,
    I love the job and I think that the stress depends on the person.  I know of controllers at work that get nervous when they have to work a busy sector.  Then their are some like me who like it best when we are busy.  You can't think about how many people are on the airplanes that you are working you just have to think of them as objects that have to be separated.  
   Pros:
       Pay is good
       Challenging job
       You get to tell people (pilots) what to do
       Rewarding when you have worked a lot of airplanes and get off of a busy sector.
   Cons:
       Sometimes you cannot approve everthing that a pilot asks for.
       Job can be stressful at times.
       Control is noisy
       a lot of government bureaucracy
       Not a lot of opportunity to move around or travel at work.  You are generally tied to a radar scope.

I hope this helps.

Dacus
Dacus@iwon.com