When I was younger, I always wanted to fly, and joined ATC because part of the training was a PPL course, which I did. (Had already done about 50hours, here and there, and solo'd in a Rhonlerche then a Cherokee)
As the ATC career progressed, however, I found myself enjoying the job enough that the urge to become a professional pilot waned gradually. I still enjoyed flying, and did about another 450 hours total, as a PPL.
Now I'm starting to find that ATC looks like it's heading down the road of being "procedures-based" instead of "skills-based". In a few years a lot of the enjoyment in the job is likely to be seriously diminished. I could not in all honestly recommend it as a career move, for the time being. Not in this country. Time will tell.