Unfortunately the way the college works you don’t even get to ‘pretend’ to be an air traffic controller until months into the course. Doesn’t really help connect the theory with anything (in my perspective) and also made it hard for us to know if we even suited the job until we finally got to put a headset on.
If its any help, I thought the same 20 years ago and still do. Unfortunately its a catch 22. The theory is meaningless gibberish until you can see it in use, but you can't do any sim without at least the basic theory. I think all you can do is grit you teeth and try to learn the theory and trust it will make sense later. Fair warning though, some of it won't ever make sense
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Blippy - if you think 12 to 18 months hanging round waiting and then a year in the college, and not being able to take a week off whenever you want is too big a sacrifice, may I politely suggest you are not yet ready to enter the workforce, let alone ATC.
I don't think everyone can do ATC, but I don't think its a small % either. What is a small % is the people who can do it, and who
want to. The responsibility and shift work puts some people off, lots of people who could do it can do other things they prefer, and it never even crosses the minds of many.