The Federal Aviation Administration has 14,242 active ATC controllers and plans to hire 4,300 more over the next five years.
A new intake is underway to hire new controllers and the FAA is aiming to recruit video gamers for the job under its new “Level Up” hiring campaign.
According to the agency, gaming techniques like concentration, spatial awareness, and coordination translate to the high-stakes role.
New hires will complete a training program at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. Those that succeed in the training program will receive a permanent job at an FAA facility.
Air traffic controller jobs are considered among the topmost stressful jobs in the world as it requires high levels of responsibility with inherent stress due to its nature and the complexity of tasks involved.