How to become an Air Traffic Controller: education, training and skills.
What workers in the job actually report about their education, experience and training, the skills to build first, and the stepping-stone roles that lead in.
- 36% High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 21% Post-Secondary Certificate
- 20% Bachelor's Degree
- 14% Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree
- 6% Some College Courses
Most air traffic controllers report needing a high school diploma or equivalent (36% of workers surveyed by O*NET). O*NET places the job in Job Zone 3 of 5 (medium preparation). The most common answer for related work experience was “no related experience needed” (43%), and for on-the-job training “over 2 years, up to and including 4 years” (39%).
Six steps to becoming an Air Traffic Controller
Data Steps 1 to 5 summarise O*NET data for the role; step 6 is advice.
- EducationPlan for a high school diploma or equivalent
36% of workers report it as required. 64% report no college degree needed.
- TrainingExpect on-the-job training
Most common: over 2 years, up to and including 4 years.
- ExperienceRelated experience
Most common: no related experience needed (43% of workers).
- SkillsBuild the core skills
Active Listening, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making are rated most important.
- ToolsLearn the tools
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook.
- CredentialsCheck licensing where you live
Many occupations need a state license or certification. Requirements vary by state, so confirm with your state's licensing board.
What workers report
Data Share of workers giving each answer, O*NET.
O*NET Job Zone 3 (Medium Preparation Needed): Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Data Pay once you are in the job: the BLS median is $148,080; the lowest-paid quarter earn $104,520 or less. See the full Air Traffic Controller salary data.
How this page is built
Education, experience, training and Job Zone come from O*NET 31.0 survey data for the occupation. Stepping-stone roles use our skill-match score: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.
- Licensing rules in your state.
- Requirements at a specific employer.
- How long the path will take you personally.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).