If you regret all that time you poured into video gaming instead of studying, don’t worry. According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s latest campaign, it’s now searching for gamers who are ready to start a new $100,000-plus career in air traffic control.
A polished new recruitment video from the federal agency, featuring clips from game series such as Fortnite and League of Legends, offers gamers the chance to earn $155,000 per year after completing a three-year training program.
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The FAA says it has found that gaming can influence an air traffic controller’s “ability to think quickly, stay focused, and manage complexity.”
Applications for the new training program, which does not require a college degree, are set to open on April 17 and will be capped at 8,000 applicants. Unfortunately, applicants must be under 31 years old at the time of application. Successful applicants will undergo training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City and will be paid $22.61 per hour during training, with health and housing benefits provided.
The agency has struggled to recruit enough air traffic controllers in recent years, with numbers down 6% over the past ten years despite Americans flying more than ever before. The agency attributes this to the pandemic, when lockdowns paused training for well over a year, as well as many leaving the profession between 2019 and 2024.
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It’s not just the FAA—numerous other government bodies are looking toward gamers to fill their vacancies. The Army and other parts of the military have also spent large sums in recent years sponsoring esports tournaments. The Guardian reported in 2024 that the Office of Naval Research has funded universities to study how certain types of video games, such as shooters, can improve perceptual and cognitive functions with military applications. It’s also not the first time that the FAA has specifically leaned into targeting gamers in its recruitment advertising. As The New York Times points out, gamers were a focus of the 2021 Biden-administration “Level Up” campaign, which also focused on women and ethnic minorities.
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I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.
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