Hey Matty,
Don't let the b**tards put you down mate. ATC is one of the besr careers you can get into. The people are great, the money is not quite as great as it once was, but still competitive, and the hours can be a refreshing alternative to the 9-5.
It's true, 2 dozen drunken monkeys on acid could probably do a better job of running the company than Rupert and Cheese'n'Ham, but you just have to rise above the bull****.
If you think about the negative aspects, nights, days off at funny ties, earlies at weekends, they all have their upsides too.
Early starts mean early finishes, nights give you ample opportunity to catch up on the latest bestsellers, and do you realise how cheap it is to go to the cinema during the day midweek, when every other fool is at work!
The company itself is in deep doo doo, but that isn't going to affect you, the job still needs to be done, and we still need new guys to do it. If Nats collapses, we're re nationalised; where's the problem there?
As for starting 'live' in 3 years, don't be too hasty. After completion of the college course, you'd do support duties at Swanwick (which is probably where u'd end up) for about a year to 18 months.
So total time from start to validation is around 3 1/2 to 4 years.
Don't let any of it put you off mate, it's a sound career choice
