"ASK23.....Looks like I will be joining you in Melb in February for the Tower Course. I was also offered EnRoute or Tower and ended up going with Tower.
Mr Fancy Pants.
You chose Enroute??? That should be part of the psych testing. And you my friend, have failed.
p.s Good luck with the course
Are you a Tower controller yourself? Just wondering why you prefer Tower to Enroute. I'm new to the game so knowledge is quite limited"
re this:
It seems that most people who are given the choice choose Tower without thinking. A few in my course did the same, and some were offered spots in previous Enroute courses and chose to hold off for 3 months until there was a Tower spot available. Alot of my course admit to the fact that they would of chosen Tower if given the chance, but now that they know more about both streams they would definitely pick Enroute.
When most people think of ATC they automatically think of Tower controllers, so I think that's why it's usually the first pick. Nothing wrong with that either. On the plus side the Tower course is 2-3 months shorter than the Enroute course (how hard is it to learn 1 separation standard :P), so you're in the field sooner, you get a nice view from your office, you get to play with binoculars etc. On the downside though is the chance that you can basically close your eyes and point at any spot on a map of Aus and that's where you could be relocating to. I also believe the Tower course has a much higher pass rate (not due to the quality of the students!) than the Enroute course...
As far as positives for Enroute is that you will be living in Brisbane at the worst, and Melbourne at the best. From what I've seen a bit more variety in your workload, and a bigger team around you. Obvious downside is a longer, and more challenging course... but if you're up to it it's rewarding.