How Karen Seals Got Started
I have always loved flying and airplanes. My father is a pilot and we were able to fly quite a bit as kids and that's where my initial exposure came from.
I was previously employed as a geologist in the '80s, but it was in one of the down cycles and continued to stay in a down cycle. I kept getting laid off and needed to find a different job. So, since I'd always had a love for aviation, I decided it was time to get out of geology and get some different training so I could work at something more stable.
I studied at the University of Colorado in Boulder and graduated in 1984 with a B.A. in geology. In 1986 I just opened the phone book and started making calls to the different airports until I finally got the right number for a regional office of the FAA. I asked them how I could become an air traffic controller and they told me that I needed to sign up to take a test. It was an aptitude test with different portions to it. You had to have a fairly high score. I took the test then ended up waiting a year and a half before they called me. There was a backlog then. While I was waiting, I didn't really think I would hear from them. There had been no contact at all in that year and a half. Then I got a phone call out of the blue. They said they had a date available at the academy in Oklahoma City. It happened to be coming up in the next week. I packed up and went out there. The course took four months.
During the training I stayed in an apartment set up specifically to accommodate the FAA. We were paid a salary and a per diem during the training period.
"After I graduated, I started off at Deer Valley Airport on the north side of Phoenix. Then I moved to Phoenix Airport."
What the Jobs Really Like
I'm responsible for the safety and the efficient flow of traffic. I sequence the airplanes into the airport for landings and for takeoffs.
We work eight hours at a time, five days a week, but we do shift work. At Phoenix we're open seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. At Goodyear we're open from six in the morning until nine at night. It depends on the airport. Hours can vary from week to week.
There is stress involved with this job, but I think the stress varies from person to person. And sometimes people don't even realize what it is that causes the stress. It could be the rotating shifts, with night shifts and coming back early the next morning. That's hard to do. The interruption in your sleeping pattern can cause stress. The actual amount of air traffic can also cause stress.
For me the most stress comes in when you really have to work together as a team. You have to interact so much, you don't work independently at all-it's all team work. And sometimes when you work with other people there can be conflicts. It's not conflicts of personality, if s just because communicating can be difficult. At a bigger airport you could have from nine to twelve controllers working together. At a small airport you work more independently; most of the time there are two on duty together.
You only have one air space and you have to split it in half and you constantly have to do something in another controller's air space. In order to do something in that air space you have to get his or her permission. So you constantly have to communicate and plan ahead.
We get enough breaks during the day so that you don't get that worn out. You might work for an hour, have a break, then go back to work at a different position where you're doing something entirely different. You divide your time between ground control, where you're taxiing planes to and from the runway and local control, where you clear them for takeoff and landings. And there are several other positions, too. You get a lot of variety so you don't get tired.
On the plus side, we get great benefits, and time off. We also get to take familiarization trips. They're for training purposes, but you can go on any airline that participates in the program and ride up in the cockpit. And you can go to whatever destination you choose. They have you do this so you can ask questions and learn what it's like in the cockpit. And you do a little liaison work, too.
It's an exciting job. I'm always happy to go to work. I love what I do; I love to work the airplanes. You put a plan together and ask everybody to do certain things. And everybody actually does what you asked and it works out great. You're getting the airplanes out on time and you're getting them in without problems.
Because of the way Phoenix is set up-we only have two runways-it's exciting because you're constantly had to plan. If Plan A doesn't work out, you have to have a Plan B. We run a lot of traffic on two runways. We're always busy, always pumped up. There's always something going on. We deal with more than 100 to 120 takeoffs and landings an hour.
You also get to work in the aviation community, which is a really neat group of people. You get to see all the aspects. You get to work with the pilots, the people down on the ramp, the airport people, and the administrative people. It's such a variety of people and everyone has to depend on each other and help each other out. It's a unique experience.
Expert Advice
"Hang in there for a couple of years until the hiring starts back up. And if I were just getting out of high school and wanted to pursue this field, I would pick a school where you could get some kind of aviation training, specifically in air traffic. It's more competitive now and, though a college degree isn't necessary, the more training you have the better your chances will be."
Air Traffic Controllers
A pamphlet providing general information about controllers and instructions for submitting an application is available from any U.S. Office of Personnel Management Job Information Center. Look under U.S. Government, Office of Personnel Management, in your telephone book to obtain a local Job Information Center telephone number, and call for a copy of the Air Traffic Controller Announcement. If there is no listing in your telephone book, dial the toll-free directory assistance number at (800) 555-1212 and request the number of the Office of Personnel Management Job Information Center for your location.
