Do you live where you want to be?

[Scouzer]

I settled doing a job I really like in a place I really do not want to be. I'm hoping in 5 years or so I'll have enough seniority to transfer back home. I've already been here 4 years. That's 9 years of my life away from home, friends, girlfriend (although she'll move here eventually), family.

I don't have any friends locally (none) and I drive the 3 hours back home on all my days off. It's tiresome... but the job pays ~$70k. The job is also unique so it's not like I can just go work for another employer back home.. this is the only employer in this industry!

Anyway, pole.

 

[mrCide]

I have a well paying job with pension, but I hate southeast Florida. I wanted to move out of here years ago but that's just not possible now. Also I dislike my home but I am underwater so I don't have the option to move either.

I thought the Canadian market was doing alright..

 

[Scouzer]

I have a well paying job with pension, but I hate southeast Florida. I wanted to move out of here years ago but that's just not possible now. Also I dislike my home but I am underwater so I don't have the option to move either.

I thought the Canadian market was doing alright..

The Canadian market is excellent. I am not college educated so my options are limited. My job is in a narrow field with only one potential employer. If I want to move home right now, I give up excellent pay and benefits. I'm also very good at this job and I enjoy being good at it so it'd be hard to give up.

 

[ThePresence]

Okay, I'm curious which industry only has one employer?

 

[Scouzer]

Okay, I'm curious which industry only has one employer?

air traffic control

 

[ThePresence]

air traffic control

Can civilians work for the military in ATC?

Is $70k a starting salary? The responsibility you guys have should be reflected in salary.

 

[meltdown75]

other

i live in a subdivision and am contemplating a move further into the county. not far, about 10 mins from where i'm at. but subdivision life is not for me. i want fields behind and around me, and fewer (read: no) neighbours.

 

[Vonkhan]

live & work in nyc

 

[Kirby]

i'll be living here after i graduate. it's ok.

 

[Scouzer]

Can civilians work for the military in ATC?

Is $70k a starting salary? The responsibility you guys have should be reflected in salary.

The range is about 45k-130k depending the size of the site. I'm at one of the smallest sites around.

Canadian Military ATC are officers, therefore they only accept those with college diplomas. Regardless, the nearest air force base is an equal distance to my home city. Furthermore, the pay is complete shit, starting at $38k.

 

[ThePresence]

The range is about 45k-130k depending the size of the site. I'm at one of the smallest sites around.

Canadian Military ATC are officers, therefore they only accept those with college diplomas. Regardless, the nearest air force base is an equal distance to my home city. Furthermore, the pay is complete shit, starting at $38k.

Can you work in the US?

 

[amdhunter]

No. I hate my area. It used to be a nice Puerto Rican/Dominican neighborhood until they started to accept Section 8 everywhere.

Now it is an infested dump. Loads of dirty good for nothing children with their welfare single moms and their crack selling boyfriends.

It took less than 5 years for my neighborhood to go from a quietish clean neighborhood, to one that looks rat infested and trashed/graffiti'd up every where.

I wish they'd all just get jailed or become an heroes. It's not like any of them will become anything someday.

 

[Scouzer]

Can you work in the US?

I suppose. American ATC is fucked though, so I never would. Pay is shit and the employer sucks. No offence intended to the KLGA tower controller who posts around here.

 

[ThePresence]

I suppose. American ATC is fucked though, so I never would. Pay is shit and the employer sucks. No offence intended to the KLGA tower controller who posts around here.

Air traffic controllers earn relatively high pay and have good benefits. Median annual wages of air traffic controllers in May 2008 were $111,870. The middle 50 percent earned between $71,050 and $143,780. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $45,020, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $161,010. The average annual salary, excluding overtime earnings, for air traffic controllers in the Federal Government—which employs 90 percent of all controllers—was $109,218 in March 2009.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos108.htm

Not too shabby.

 

[xSauronx]

nope....moved back home to go to school after my divorce. I'll probably be here at least 3 more years, maybe more. I do, however, have several good friends and get out pretty often...its just that to get anywhere else interesting takes an hour or more. Raleigh, the beach, whatever...oh well.

Hopefully after school I can get a decent job, save some money, and move away for a little while.

Have you really been there 4 years with the same girlfriend in another town? What crap!

 

[Gibson486]

I live in the nearly ghetto part of Cambridge, MA. Just yesterday, I saw these guys just walking down the street and stealing the rear wheels on all the bikes. i questioned what they were doing and they just bolted.

The other day, I was working on my car and the guy down the street was too. He went inside to get something, this dude just runs down the street and tries to steal his torque wrench. Luckily, I was there and when he saw me get up, he dropped the wrench and fled down the street.

A few weeks ago, this guy took a dump in bag, threw it in the trash, then proceeded across the street into his condo.

 

[Scouzer]

Air traffic controllers earn relatively high pay and have good benefits. Median annual wages of air traffic controllers in May 2008 were $111,870. The middle 50 percent earned between $71,050 and $143,780. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $45,020, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $161,010. The average annual salary, excluding overtime earnings, for air traffic controllers in the Federal Government—which employs 90 percent of all controllers—was $109,218 in March 2009.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos108.htm

Not too shabby.

That's for existing controllers. In 2005 or 2006 the FAA forced a new contract on them deeming all new controllers to have DRASTIC pay cuts and benefit cuts.

 

[Scouzer]

I live in the nearly ghetto part of Cambridge, MA. Just yesterday, I saw these guys just walking down the street and stealing the rear wheels on all the bikes. i questioned what they were doing and they just bolted.

The other day, I was working on my car and the guy down the street was too. He went inside to get something, this dude just runs down the street and tries to steal his torque wrench. Luckily, I was there and when he saw me get up, he dropped the wrench and fled down the street.

A few weeks ago, this guy took a dump in bag, threw it in the trash, then proceeded across the street into his condo.

wtf. time to move.

 

[Gibson486]

wtf. time to move.

yeah, this part of cambridge is kind of sketchy. It's only 3 blocks from MIT too....

 

[SViper]

Moved to Austin, TX from southwest LA (Louisiana) after getting a job here. Best move of my life in my opinion. Made new friends, found my fiancee, and got a house here. I don't plan on moving anywhere anytime soon.

 

[rcpratt]

Moved back to where I grew up (Detroit) to start my career. I like it here and it's nice to be within driving distance to my family, but I'm not particularly attached. I could move pretty much anywhere and not mind too much.

 

[Riverhound777]

After college I worked for 1.5 years and saved up some money to move to the Central coast like i've wanted to all my life. Been here in Santa Barbara over 4 years now and loving it.

 

[Deeko]

I moved to the Seattle area for work and I DESPISE it.

 

[mrCide]

I moved to the Seattle area for work and I DESPISE it.

why? i was considering Seattle awhile back.

 

[evident]

Grown up in the same area and working here too. I really would like a chance to live in Hawaii but my job is too good right now to abandon and go sell mangoes to tourists.