Can everyone climb down from their moral high horse please.
WannabeAtco makes a perfectly valid point in his original post- if HR want people to prep for stage 1 then at least point them in the RIGHT direction- don't tell them to do one thing and then test them on another. its very very unprofessional in an industry that prides itself on the highest standards of profeesionalism. There is an argument that throwing unexpected stuff at you is what ATCO is all about- BUT lets be honest, its just HR not being as accurate as it could be- just about every single communication i have received up to stage 3 has been factually incorrect or misleading!
Furthermore, what is said on internet forums can often be misconstrued, as such it is accepted wisdom to give posts the benefit of the doubt- having read WannbeAtco initial posts he seemed to be making a valid complaint, which some people, who seem to be suffering from inflated ego problems themselves, took humbrage to and shot him down in flames.
There is one rule on the internet- if you won't say it to someone's face then don't say it all. I suggest everyone takes a long look at what they have written recently and apply this rule to their posts.
It is also of some surprise to see the competitiveness that often comes across on this forum- ATC strikes me as far from competitive- you are ONLY competing with yourself. NATS will clearly take anyone they can get, and so the only person you have to beat is yourself. Personally i am all up for helping as many people as possible- in any way possible. I'd love to see everyone on here employed in such a rewarding job as ATCO!
Lets be frank, those who are validated have the right to be self-assured, and the usual level of maturity and self confidence required by the job seems to suggest that they don't ram their successes down peoples throats. However those that have passed stage 2 and 3 often come across as being "better" than others. Frankly none of the testing processes matter a damn until you validate.
Anyway enough sermonising from me, i suggest everyone climbs out of their entrenched positions, treat each other with respect, and gets on with learning how to be the best ATCO possible.
hatemyjob- there is truly nothing you can do to practice stage 2- you can either pass or you can't its as simple as that- i did write a long email to someone about stage 2 and i will see if i can find a copy and paste it on here.
Thanks to the college person who posted on here earlier- mucho helpful for an insight into college life. For some of us who are willing to give up lucrative careers to become ATCOs this whole process is a hell of a risk so its nice to know exactly what you are letting yourself in for!