cdb 84
after looking at the nats careers website, if you think it looks like a good career you will find all the answers to your questions and much much more within this thread. you will also find numerous tips, hints, ideas and thoughts on the whole selection process from application to (hopefully) acceptance to the college and beyond. i agree, 100 pages is a lot to read, but if you are thinking of embarking on what would be a complete career change, i think it could be considered time worth spending.
i'll quickly add that it's not that i, or others, dont want to answer your questions, just that the plethora of opinions will give you a more rounded perception than a solitary voice.
good luck
adrian