To condense the previous post, here's a little timeline of the whole application process up to today:
07/31/2008 Applied for PUBNAT5
12/02/2009 Email received to set test date for ATSAT in Chicago
01/17/2009 Took ATSAT in Chicago
01/21/2009 ATSAT score received: 87.5 Well Qualified
03/27/2009 Received and submitted GEO Pref Email (TX and AZ)
05/19/2009 Received e-mail notifying me I have been chosen for further consideration for Houston Center.
Upon receiving the e-mail on 05/19, I replied back accepting their offer. I waited to hear when exactly the week of June 22nd my PEPC (interview, physical, psych exam) would be.
Now here's where the good and bad news comes in: I did not hear back Wednesday the 20th, whereas others in my position had and received conformation of PEPC on the 22nd or 23rd of June. I heard back today that all PEPC slots were filled, and now instead of getting everything done in one eight hour day, I have to go the "traditional route."
I will be contacted some time in the next few weeks to schedule an interview. Depending on how that goes, I have to wait some more, get clearance and then continue on to the next steps. So it's good that I haven't fallen through the cracks, and still am on pace to interview, but a bit bad that I'm not doing the "all in one day" PEPC route.
To say the least, this whole process has been slow and frustrating. I have no idea when e-mails are coming, when interviews are being scheduled, and when I will ultimately be going to the FAA academy in OKC (Oklahoma City).
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Welcome
Welcome to Alpha Tango Charlie. Why Alpha Tango Charlie? Well that's the NATO phonetic alphabet pronunciation for ATC or air traffic control, which is what this blog will be about. Basically an agonizingly slow update of getting hired as an air traffic controller, general air traffic control news/musings/etc, and as time goes on, updates during the FAA academy and my eventual "home base" in Houston.
Though I'm jumping ahead of myself. Most of you probably aren't familiar with air traffic control or what an air traffic controller does, or why I decided to apply for this position. Forgive me for the long rambling which is to follow. This isn't going to be the fanciest blog out on the interweb, as I know basically next to nothing about HTML editing or the like, so a standard blogger/blogspot will be my layout, and the rudimentary in-browser editing/posting tools at my disposal will be my means of updating. So bear with me.
To start with, I actually applied to this as a "lets just apply to this and see what happens" type of thing. I applied, and then the economy went in the shitter, so I figured I would stick it out, seeing as when/if I eventually get hired it would be nice to have a very steady, very well paying job.
I applied during an open PUBNAT, which stands for PUBlic-NATional announcement. PUBNATs are usually open for a month, which allows somebody OTS (Off the Street) to apply for a position. My PUBNAT closed on 7/31/08.
I did not hear back from the FAA until Deceumber of 2008, informing me I had been selected to take the AT-SAT, basically a pre-employment exam. I took that on January 17, 2009. I received my results on January 21 stating I passed the test, and I was "Well Qualified" as opposed to just "Qualified."
After that, I did not hear anything until March 27, when I received my Geographical Preferences e-mail, basically asking, "tell us your two states you wouldn't mind working." So I put down Texas and Arizona. For reasons I will go into at a later time.
Again I waited, until last week on May 19th, I was informed that I had been chosen for further consideration for an Air Traffic Control Specialist (ATCS) position at the Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) in Houston, TX.
So now I wait some more. My interview/physical/psychological exam is scheduled for the week of June 22nd in Chicago (Des Plaines actually). However I am waiting on an e-mail informing me exactly what day the week of the 22nd, and what time.
It's been almost 11 months since I applied and I haven't even interviewed yet. In the future, in addition to further clarifing why I decided to leave the wonderful Chicago area, I will also further clarify why I applied to one of the most stressful jobs in the world, and what exactly an air traffic controller does, and the different aspects of the job.
My primary objective is to remain with the ATC topic at hand, but most of you that know me know that I love my music, so occasionally I will stray off topic to gush about some band or album that has me captivated at the moment.
Again, forgive the rather long and disjointed first entry. I will break things down as time goes on, and try to make some things clear. Please feel free to comment!
Though I'm jumping ahead of myself. Most of you probably aren't familiar with air traffic control or what an air traffic controller does, or why I decided to apply for this position. Forgive me for the long rambling which is to follow. This isn't going to be the fanciest blog out on the interweb, as I know basically next to nothing about HTML editing or the like, so a standard blogger/blogspot will be my layout, and the rudimentary in-browser editing/posting tools at my disposal will be my means of updating. So bear with me.
To start with, I actually applied to this as a "lets just apply to this and see what happens" type of thing. I applied, and then the economy went in the shitter, so I figured I would stick it out, seeing as when/if I eventually get hired it would be nice to have a very steady, very well paying job.
I applied during an open PUBNAT, which stands for PUBlic-NATional announcement. PUBNATs are usually open for a month, which allows somebody OTS (Off the Street) to apply for a position. My PUBNAT closed on 7/31/08.
I did not hear back from the FAA until Deceumber of 2008, informing me I had been selected to take the AT-SAT, basically a pre-employment exam. I took that on January 17, 2009. I received my results on January 21 stating I passed the test, and I was "Well Qualified" as opposed to just "Qualified."
After that, I did not hear anything until March 27, when I received my Geographical Preferences e-mail, basically asking, "tell us your two states you wouldn't mind working." So I put down Texas and Arizona. For reasons I will go into at a later time.
Again I waited, until last week on May 19th, I was informed that I had been chosen for further consideration for an Air Traffic Control Specialist (ATCS) position at the Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) in Houston, TX.
So now I wait some more. My interview/physical/psychological exam is scheduled for the week of June 22nd in Chicago (Des Plaines actually). However I am waiting on an e-mail informing me exactly what day the week of the 22nd, and what time.
It's been almost 11 months since I applied and I haven't even interviewed yet. In the future, in addition to further clarifing why I decided to leave the wonderful Chicago area, I will also further clarify why I applied to one of the most stressful jobs in the world, and what exactly an air traffic controller does, and the different aspects of the job.
My primary objective is to remain with the ATC topic at hand, but most of you that know me know that I love my music, so occasionally I will stray off topic to gush about some band or album that has me captivated at the moment.
Again, forgive the rather long and disjointed first entry. I will break things down as time goes on, and try to make some things clear. Please feel free to comment!
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