Off The Street Hiring

[NWA ARJ]

I am a CTI student, I have spent 4 years and thousands of dollars going to school. Now the FAA has came out and started hiring people off the street with no prior ATC experience whatsoever. What is the point going to school? As a CTI student, am I screwed?

http://www.ato.faa.gov/DeskTopDefault.aspx?mid=144&tabindex=3&tabid=22&itemid=1234

[cactushp]

No.
Remember, only about 1% of those "qualified" applicants will actually be chosen, and sent to OKC. You, as a CTI student is almost guranteed to go to OKC to start your career.

[digger]

As a CTI student, am I screwed?

If you mean are you screwed from the standpoint of having to compete for an opening with dozens of applicants from off the street, no, I don't think so. If you mean have you been screwed by spending thousands of dollars to get an education to enter a career whose rewards are a far cry from what you were told they would be when you made the decision, yeah, I think you've been screwed, big time.

Here's one set of opinions on the subject:

http://www.faafollies.com/?p=136