100% true. 2 guys in my tower walked off into the sunset with 400k+ packages - and good luck to them, they’d both out in near 40 years as a controller and were given an offer they couldn’t refuse.
Problem is we are now two controllers short and are struggling everyday to staff the tower. It’s happening all over the country. Unfortunately kids these days don’t want to commit to a career with a 50% failure rate and a 5 year training bond to boot. And to be honest as a controller you are essentially locked into the same career.