Career
Air traffic controllers
Guide aircraft safely through the sky.
$148,080
Median pay
+1.7%
Job growth, 2025–35
2,100
Openings a year
Associate's degree
Typical education
2 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems.
- Monitor aircraft within a specific airspace, using radar, computer equipment, or visual references.
- Monitor, direct, or sequence the movement of aircraft within an assigned air space or on the ground at airports to minimize delays and maximize safety.
- Alert airport emergency services in cases of emergency or when aircraft are experiencing difficulties.
- Maintain radio or telephone contact with adjacent control towers, terminal control units, or other area control centers to coordinate aircraft movement.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on information & systems, then objects & tools?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
2 years of education after high school (associate's degree), for a median of $148,080 a year and 2,100 openings nationally each year.
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Airfield Operations Specialists$56,850 · +7.8%
- Commercial Pilots$123,220 · +5.2%
- Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$232,140 · +8.3%
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters$78,000 · +0.9%
- Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors$58,170 · +9.2%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.