We're lucky ASA pays us at all. And seriously that is a very veeeerry good wage just for training. Any other similar job in the world you'd have to pay to train and then not necessarily be guaranteed a job. It's not like you make the company any money while in training, where as the trainee blippees are straight-away doing their actual job, not just pretending like the atc trainees. Plus, what other job would you get paid that much as a trainee, then if you're a successful employee your pay doubles within a year & 1/2. Maybe you should try living on a 1st year apprentice wage? And just because the job wasn't for you doesn't mean the applicants/trainees are bad quality. It's a hard job, and it's not for everyone. But there are a lot of successful new field trainees & newly rated controllers. If you can make it through the college, which is hard FOR A REASON, this is an amazing job, with fantastic people, and the pay is pretty darn impressive.