Best job in the world?

I have seen it yes. It’s just hilarious when you come on here spouting “knowledge” like you’ve been in longer than 3-4 years at one facility. Probably close to a year CPC though right? Congrats!
I've never seen anyone fired for losing a medical in my almost 14 years in the agency. But, I've been at a center with a nearby regional HQ. Everyone I've seen lose medical has been either given an office type job at same salary when available, or offered a medical retirement.
 
Are there jobs where you make more and do less? Sure. There's also a metric fuck ton of jobs where you make less and do a hell of a lot more. It's all relative.

That said, if I could quit doing this tomorrow and never talk to another airplane again and see no significant life changes and work a regular schedule, get time off when I wanted, etc.... Ya I'm out. I value my time away with my family and friends and doing hobbies and travel and shit I want to be doing so much more than any perceived career satisfaction I get from ATC. Used to be a airplane geek now they annoy the fuck out of me. If you leave work and go home and play flight sims or whatever you are a giant loser change my mind. "Airplane" is not a personality type.
 
Are there jobs where you make more and do less? Sure. There's also a metric fuck ton of jobs where you make less and do a hell of a lot more. It's all relative.

That said, if I could quit doing this tomorrow and never talk to another airplane again and see no significant life changes and work a regular schedule, get time off when I wanted, etc.... Ya I'm out. I value my time away with my family and friends and doing hobbies and travel and shit I want to be doing so much more than any perceived career satisfaction I get from ATC. Used to be a airplane geek now they annoy the fuck out of me. If you leave work and go home and play flight sims or whatever you are a giant loser change my mind. "Airplane" is not a personality type.
*waves at the 0630-1430 and M-F Federal Holidays off* Also does WarThunder count?
 
Just looked it up seems good can't wait to get off and get on
I enjoy it, a few international friends and I play, minus jets our preferred tier is like 4.0-5.3 with German props. Feels glorious in a 109 or 190 using the old boom and zoom tactics on a Pe-2/8 and IL-2.
 
This right here. I disregard pretty much everything the center controllers here say about "the paycheck makes it worth it."
Undrstand where you are coming from, but it’s worth noting that not all center controllers went straight to the facility though…. Not all rainbows and fat checks
 
This right here. I disregard pretty much everything the center controllers here say about "the paycheck makes it worth it."
I know so many people working from home, making great money. More money then a lot of controllers in lower level facilities. Sure there’s potential for big money but ppl need to be able to leave those facilities for that. Most controllers have no control over where they work or live.
As for N90, psychologists would have a field day in that building. The same ppl in and out of the same dark dingy building everyday, 6 days a week, 10 hrs a day, for 20 + years. No thanks. It’s driven them all crazy and new young controllers slowly turn into that because there’s no other way out. I’ve known ppl who withdrew simply because they never wanted to become that.
Not to be a union basher but it’s the union there that’s the real problem.
 
I've never seen anyone fired for losing a medical in my almost 14 years in the agency. But, I've been at a center with a nearby regional HQ. Everyone I've seen lose medical has been either given an office type job at same salary when available, or offered a medical retirement.
Me either. Even a couple with drug/alcohol medical losses.
 
Not to be a union basher but it’s the union there that’s the real problem.
Don't forget the literal investigation into overtime scamming and training.

Can you do the job?

Do we LIKE you?

Which one do you think matters at most facilities
 
Does anyone ever feel like they are not happy with this job due to whatever the circumstances may be at your facility… the people, the environment, etc…. But you’ve put so much in that you don’t know what other job you’d do if you actually quit… and you try and suck it up and wait for the retirement? I’m not even half way there get. I’ve found so many ppl in this profession to be miserable fucks at work and it makes me not want to do it anymore. Granted I spent the first few years at N90… the people there are Gollum and their OT is their precious… kinda ruined it for me.
Security at the Hoover Dam, 911 dispatch in Las Vegas, child abuse & neglect investigator outside of Detroit, then ATC. I don't know about "best job in the world," but it definitely beats the hell out of the others I had.

The sunken cost fallacy is very real with any job: you do anything long enough and you don't know what you'd do otherwise. Combine that with imposter syndrome, which seems to impact millennials far more than previous generations, and it can be a deadly cocktail for complacency that sows personal discord and strife if left unchecked. Toxicity is a societal facet of the human condition; in a large workforce at best it can be partially mitigated but never fully eradicated.

The most important thing is to take care of yourself first. If your mental health and personal life both suck then no career will ever fulfill you and they can change your perception of everything; make sure those are in order before you have a definitive judgement of anything. If those are in good standing and you still feel the same way about work, then maybe a change is necessary.

If your main qualm is that the bad vibes of others are bringing you down, then that's something you'll have to learn to deal with at any job; that can change facility to facility and career to career, but it is something that is seldom perfect. Avoid/ignore the assholes, be nice to people (especially the assholes), enjoy everything outside of work, and find a way to let go of it all when you walk out the door. The last part is the most difficult for people, but is the most critical.
 
Security at the Hoover Dam, 911 dispatch in Las Vegas, child abuse & neglect investigator outside of Detroit, then ATC. I don't know about "best job in the world," but it definitely beats the hell out of the others I had.

The sunken cost fallacy is very real with any job: you do anything long enough and you don't know what you'd do otherwise. Combine that with imposter syndrome, which seems to impact millennials far more than previous generations, and it can be a deadly cocktail for complacency that sows personal discord and strife if left unchecked. Toxicity is a societal facet of the human condition; in a large workforce at best it can be partially mitigated but never fully eradicated.

The most important thing is to take care of yourself first. If your mental health and personal life both suck then no career will ever fulfill you and they can change your perception of everything; make sure those are in order before you have a definitive judgement of anything. If those are in good standing and you still feel the same way about work, then maybe a change is necessary.

If your main qualm is that the bad vibes of others are bringing you down, then that's something you'll have to learn to deal with at any job; that can change facility to facility and career to career, but it is something that is seldom perfect. Avoid/ignore the assholes, be nice to people (especially the assholes), enjoy everything outside of work, and find a way to let go of it all when you walk out the door. The last part is the most difficult for people, but is the most critical.
Username checks out
 
For the most part I would agree, but the ratio of asshat-to-decent coworkers in this field is far higher than I've experienced elsewhere. The toxic culture is pervasive across the career.
It's a field where type A individuals succeed, and are not only drawn to the profession but seeked out by the agency. Throw a bunch of us together that are high strung, have control issues and/or idiosyncrasies when working traffic, and always think we're right..... we're practically all jerks. Really tired (bc shift work) jerks. lol
 
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