Air Traffic Controller
Sequences aircraft in real time with no margin for error. Selection is narrow and training washes many out.
- Pay band (est.)
- $145k–$210k
- Time to competence
- 4 years
- Licence
- Required
- Setting
- desk
- Leverage
- low
- Place constraint
- high
- Physical demand
- 15/100
- Hours burden
- 72/100
Factor percentiles
Percentile against the whole curated set. Higher is better on that factor only.
- Play27th
Absorbing rather than merely paid.
- Specific knowledge38th
A combination of skills that is hard to copy.
- Leverage14th
Output that scales through code, media, capital or crew.
- Demand28th
Durability and shortage, scored conservatively.
- Pay94th
Mid-career floor and the range above it.
- Body74th
Inverse of physical demand and hours.
- Autonomy9th
Control of methods and time.
- People fit97th
Distance from your preferred people level.
- Place flexibility1th
Remote fit and freedom from specific metros.
- Time to skill79th
Inverse of years to competence.
- Meaning load50th
Closeness to the families you marked as meaningful. Your mapping, not ours.
- Downside tolerance74th
Inverse of named risk to body, market or platform.
Downside
Age caps on entry, mandatory retirement, sustained stress.
Examine this against your weights
The percentiles above use the default weights. Set your own on the ranking and this vocation moves with them.
- Place constraint is high. Where you live is analysed at locationistics.com.
- Hours burden is 72/100 and people intensity 55/100. Who you are with is analysed at relationistics.com.
Source note: BLS OEWS May 2024, Air Traffic Controllers (53-2021): median $144,580, 90th percentile $210,410. Outlook from BLS 2025-35 projections, +1.7%. Other scores editorial. All figures are estimates for comparison.