You are definitely trading some quality of life to get that big paycheck.įor background, I work for NavCanada at a reasonably busy tower.Īs others have said, some days are going to grind you up and spit you out. There are definitely things other than the money to like about the job, but in comparing it to a 'normal' job that's the biggest difference. There are much easier careers to choose that will fit in much better with a 'normal' life. It comes down to two simple questions: How much do you like money, and how much are you willing to give up to get it. Whether or not the job is for you is something only you can answer. Plus, at least for the first decade of your career, your days off are going to suck. This sucks for having a normal sleep schedule and for planning things. Most facilities in the US use a 'maximum time off' schedule, meaning you work nights in the beginning of the week and then work mornings at the end. In terms of the work-life balance, the schedule can be a little tough. Even though you are the 'controller' there's a surprising amount about the job you have no control over. The airplanes are coming whether you like it or not, no matter how much sleep you got or how bad you have to shit or if you have a headache. I find the most stressful part of the job is not actually doing it, but having so little control over how your day is going to go. Some headaches but nothing you can't handle. It's most often somewhere in between the two examples. But for the most part days like that are very rare. Those days you go home and drink heavily and then check your sick leave balance to see if you can somehow avoid going back tomorrow, questioning your career choice and wondering what went wrong in your life that made you decide to take this bullshit stupid job just for a paycheck. And you look at the break board hoping for relief and see that the guy who is going to be relieving you for break isn't even on break himself yet because you took so many sick calls so there is no end in sight. Not to mention Traffic Management is routing extra airplanes into your airspace even though you have the weather and turbulence and you are approaching a point where you don't know how much more you can handle before you miss something and two airplanes run together. Then you'll have days where half of your crew called in sick, there's moderate to severe turbulence, every aircraft wants to deviate around weather and everybody seems to be running together no matter what you do, you constantly feel a step behind and have too many close calls to count. There will be days when you come in to excellent staffing, smooth rides, no weather, get to be on break more than half of the day, and go home smiling about how much money you just made to do the easiest job ever. In terms of the day-to-day stress of actually doing the job, it varies wildly. It will be hard to get a reliable answer because every area or facility is completely different and they all have their own challenges.įor me personally, I work enroute high-altitude only in the USA. When asked about how stressful his job was, he would 'look off into the distance' and say 'it has its moments'. ![]() I think this is best summed up by my now-retired trainer. This is a pretty common question but I am glad you are doing your research to see if this is the job for you.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |