u/the_luquavious

Hey all,

I am 19M and if I'm being completely forward I'm pretty lost right now. I have attempted to pursue a handful of things all of which were fairly different and none of them have stuck. I had the normal teenage retail experience, then fresh out of high school I started working electrical. I did some small jobs in between, but now I find myself as a realtor and once again I completely despise my job. In all fairness I knew getting into real estate that it required skills I was terrible at (like answering my phone lol) but I had hoped my face to face abilities would carry me along.

I have gone through a few of the personality and career tests and they all pretty well tell me that I am quiet, observant, and analytical. Career wise they typically point me towards something medical or aviation related. I'll admit I do have some interest in particular positions found in both of those fields however, the likelihood of obtaining those jobs is slim.

I am fortunate enough to be in a position where not only am I cared for financially, but I also have a GI Bill behind me so college is absolutely an option. I'm simply hesitant to waste that opportunity on yet another job that I will work hard to get and then end up hating.

Currently I am considering yet another huge 180, and Air Traffic Control has been on my radar (no pun intended). Through my minor research it seems like a good mixture of things I look for, it's relatively challenging and every day looks a little different. The job expects critical thinking and mastery of the basics, all of which surviving off of communication. I think I could be really good at it, but the bar for entry is pretty extreme especially for just "thinking" that I could be good.

At the end of the day that is just an idea, and I am open to any suggestions or advice anyone has. Please feel free to ask me questions as well, I will respond as promptly as possible. Also side note, this is my first post on Reddit so I apologize if this has found the wrong place.

Thank you guys for your time!

I'm currently 19 and finding myself in a weird spot where I don't know what to do with myself, I have very high expectations and a lot of drive but I struggle to find where to put it. Currently I am trying to make a career in real estate work but being a salesman feels awful and the industry is far too sharky for me. I am fortunate to have the ability to go to college without inheriting debt however, I've yet to find a career path that seems worth those funds and time. Long story short, some recommendations from those around me as well as some minimal research on my end has led me to considering ATC as a possibility.

I was hoping to get some thoughts from those that associate with the job on a few things.

Firstly I've noticed that the bar to even touch the position is quite high, my question is if things don't go well is the education and experience applicable elsewhere?

Secondly, what are all of the paths one could take to potentially land the job? It seems like college, military, or you just test and apply.

Lastly, I of course did notice (and was intrigued) by the very fluffy pay but I do realize that must be for a reason. Is it a case of the job demanding a lot out of you, or is it more that obtaining the requirements is difficult so the amount of people the qualify are scarce?

Side note, this is my first time posting on Reddit so my apologies if this hasn't found the right place.

Thank you guys in advance for any thoughts or advice!