Air Traffic Controllers

Aspiring air traffic controllers must have a college degree and three years of aviation-related work experience or have completed an aviation-related program. Several years of on-the-job experience are necessary to become certified controllers.

Those hoping to enter the field must be articulate, have a good memory, and show self-control. They must be able to express themselves clearly, remember rapidly changing data that affect their decisions, and operate calmly under very difficult situations involving much strain. They must also be able to make good, sound, and quickly derived decisions. A poor decision may mean the loss of a large number of lives.