93C Career Guide
93C: Air Traffic Controller
Career transition guide for Army Air Traffic Controller (93C)
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Real industry tech roles your 93C background maps to — picked from BLS-anchored occupations using your training, cognitive skills, and systems experience.
Site Reliability Engineer
DevOps / Platform
Your experience with AN/TPN-19 Landing Control Central and AN/MPN-14K Airport Surveillance Radar translates to managing complex systems. Your ATC background emphasizes situational awareness, rapid prioritization, and degraded-mode operations, crucial for maintaining system uptime and performance. Learn Linux, cloud computing (AWS, Azure, or GCP), and monitoring tools to excel as an SRE.
Typical stack:
DevOps Engineer
DevOps / Platform
Your expertise in ATC facility planning, organization, and management aligns with DevOps principles of automation and collaboration. Your skills in procedural compliance and team synchronization are directly applicable to managing CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure as code. Focus on learning configuration management (Ansible, Chef, or Puppet), containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI).
Typical stack:
Cloud Engineer
DevOps / Platform
Your familiarity with tactical navigation aids (NAVAIDs) and airspace management systems provides a solid foundation for understanding cloud infrastructure concepts. Your experience in coordinating ATC activities with other facilities translates to managing distributed systems in the cloud. Develop expertise in cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP), infrastructure as code (Terraform, CloudFormation), and cloud security best practices.
Typical stack:
Security Engineer
Security
Your experience with ATC regulations and procedures, along with your attention to detail and situational awareness, are valuable assets in cybersecurity. Your background in identifying and resolving potential conflicts translates to threat analysis and incident response. Focus on learning network security, cryptography, and security information and event management (SIEM) systems.
Typical stack:
Skills You Already Have
Concrete bridges from 93C experience to tech-industry practice.
- Situational Awareness→ Monitoring and Alerting: Detecting anomalies and responding to incidents in real-time.
- Rapid Prioritization→ Incident Management: Quickly assessing and responding to critical system failures.
- Procedural Compliance→ Security Protocols: Adhering to industry standards and regulations for data protection.
- Team Synchronization→ Collaboration: Working effectively with development, operations, and security teams.
- Degraded-Mode Operations→ Disaster Recovery: Maintaining system functionality during outages and emergencies.
Skills to Learn
The concrete gap to bridge — specific to the roles above, not generic.
How VWC fits
Vets Who Code accelerates the parts we teach — software engineering fundamentals, web development, AI tooling. For everything else above, the path is doable independently with the resources we link to.
See VWC ProgramsCivilian Career Pathways
Top civilian roles for 93C veterans, with average salary and market demand data.
Air Traffic Controller
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) Specialist
Skills to develop:
Airport Operations Specialist
Skills to develop:
Aviation Safety Inspector
Skills to develop:
Emergency Management Specialist
Skills to develop:
Salary estimates from VWC career data
Hidden Strengths
Cognitive skills your 93C training built — and where they transfer.
Situational Awareness
Air Traffic Controllers must constantly monitor the positions of multiple aircraft, weather conditions, and potential hazards to ensure safe and efficient air traffic flow.
The ability to maintain a constant awareness of the surrounding environment and quickly identify potential risks or opportunities within a dynamic, multi-faceted situation. This involves collecting, interpreting, and synthesizing information from various sources to make informed decisions.
Rapid Prioritization
In emergency situations, controllers must quickly assess the severity of the situation and prioritize actions to prevent accidents. This could include rerouting aircraft, coordinating with emergency services, and providing critical information to pilots.
The ability to quickly assess the urgency and importance of tasks, especially under pressure, and to allocate resources and attention accordingly. This includes identifying critical paths, delegating effectively, and adapting to changing circumstances.
Procedural Compliance
Air Traffic Controllers adhere to strict FAA regulations and procedures to ensure safety and efficiency. They must know the manuals backwards and forwards.
Adherence to standardized processes and protocols is essential in ensuring consistent and safe operations. This involves understanding and applying regulations, documenting activities accurately, and maintaining a commitment to quality.
Team Synchronization
Air Traffic Controllers constantly communicate and coordinate with pilots, other controllers, and ground personnel to maintain a safe and efficient flow of air traffic. They must also be able to give OJT and conduct briefings.
The ability to work collaboratively with others to achieve a common goal. This involves effective communication, coordination of tasks, and a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities.
Degraded-Mode Operations
Air Traffic Controllers are trained to handle situations where equipment malfunctions or systems fail. They must adapt quickly to use backup systems and procedures to maintain safe operations.
The capability to maintain functionality and effectiveness even when primary systems or resources are unavailable. This involves troubleshooting, improvising solutions, and utilizing alternative methods to achieve desired outcomes.
Non-Obvious Career Matches
Logistics Coordinator
SOC 43-3071.00You've been managing the complex flow of air traffic, coordinating with different stakeholders, and making quick decisions in a high-pressure environment. As a Logistics Coordinator, you'll apply these skills to manage the efficient movement of goods and materials, ensuring timely delivery and minimizing disruptions.
Emergency Dispatcher
SOC 43-5031.00You're a master of rapid decision-making and clear communication under pressure. As an Emergency Dispatcher, you'll use these skills to receive emergency calls, assess the situation, and dispatch the appropriate emergency services with speed and accuracy. You already have the skills and temperament to be a life saver in this role.
Project Coordinator
SOC 13-1075.00You excel at planning, organizing, and coordinating complex activities while maintaining constant awareness of all moving parts. As a Project Coordinator, you'll use these skills to manage project timelines, resources, and communications, ensuring projects are completed on time and within budget.
Training & Education Equivalencies
Air Traffic Control (ATC) School, Fort Sill, OK
Topics Covered
- •Airspace Management
- •Radar Procedures
- •Meteorology
- •Flight Planning
- •ATC Regulations and Procedures
- •Voice Communications
- •Navigation Aids (NAVAIDs)
- •Emergency Procedures
Certification Pathways
Partial Coverage
Differences in FAA regulations, specific equipment, and civilian airspace procedures.
Recommended Next Certifications
Technical Systems Translation
Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.
| Military System | Civilian Equivalent |
|---|---|
| AN/TPN-19 Landing Control Central | Mobile Air Traffic Control Tower |
| AN/MPN-14K Airport Surveillance Radar | Civilian Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR) |
| AN/TRN-26 Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) | VOR/DME (VHF Omnidirectional Range/Distance Measuring Equipment) |
| Digital Terminal Automation System (DTAS) | Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control Systems (A-SMGCS) |
| Standard Army Aviation Command and Control System (SAACCS) | Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) systems |
| Joint Airspace Management System (JAMS) | Airspace Management System (e.g., FAA's NextGen) |
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