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Avg. Salary
$135,200
per year
Hours / Day
8
Days / Week
4
working days
About this career
Air traffic controllers are responsible for monitoring the position, speed, and altitude of aircraft and give directions to pilots. Controllers have an incredibly large responsibility and make countless real-time decisions, the profession is regarded as one of the most mentally challenging careers, and can be notoriously stressful.
Career Level
What you'll need
Hover or tap a skill to learn more.
Communication
Are you able to write or vocalize your thoughts efficiently? Can you retain information that you hear or read?
Leadership
Do you work well in a group setting? Are you good at building relationships with others? Are you good at recognizing the skills of others?
Motivation
Do you stay optimistic in difficult situations? Are you able to stay focused on your goals? Are you able to continue making progress despite set backs?
Organization
Are you able to keep clutter to a minimum? Can you keep track of lots of different information?
Planning
Do you often take notes or make lists? Do you manage you time efficiently? Are you able to prioritize important tasks?
Education & Training
Associate's Degree
An associate's degree is the shortest post-secondary degree. Increasingly, people are turning to associate's as a quicker, less expensive route to career change than the traditional bachelor's or four-year degree. Associate's degrees usually take between two and three years to complete.
Compensation
Columbia Basin
Washington
Low
$99,200
Average
$135,200
High
$166,900
Washington minimum wage
Salary data reflects regional averages and may vary by employer, experience, and specialization.
Work Schedule
Shift cycle
4 on · 4 off per cycle
Typical shifts are 8 hours long but times can be any time of the day. Shifts are usually 5 days a week but are not limited to weekdays.
Where do we get our data?
Our career data is based on regional averages provided by the Spokane Workforce Council. Data is subject to change based on location, job specialty, experience level, and/or union association.
Transportation & Distribution
How does it compare?
Average Salary
$135,200
Overall Rank
16th
out of 199 careers
In Transportation & Distribution
1st
out of 6 careers
Salary distribution
Rankings are based on average salary data across all careers in our database. Individual earnings may vary.
