Gamers can score a six-figure salary by guiding flights at Newark and Philly airports

🎮 FAA targets gamers with new hiring push to boost air traffic control staffing

✈️ Only 22 certified controllers were on duty for Newark last fall

💰 Job offers $155K average pay, paid training for qualified applicants

At a time when a lot of young adults are struggling to figure out a secure career path, federal officials hope gamers realize their skills make them potential pros as air traffic controllers.

The Department of Transportation launched a special campaign to boost the ranks of controllers guiding flights safely at airports nationwide.

As of September, there were 22 fully certified controllers and five certified supervisors working to direct aircraft at Newark Liberty International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

There were also 27 personnel for Newark — both controllers and supervisors — in training, with new certifications expected that month.

Newark air traffic controllers now work out of Philadelphia TRACON Area C.

At the same time, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the Federal Aviation Administration did hit its hiring goals for the year, by bringing in 2,026 new air traffic controllers.

Read More: New Jersey's favorite airport snacks

Applications are a five-step process

“Level up your career,” the new campaign says, adding that applications will go live on Friday, April 17.

“Join the best and brightest, the elite squad of 14,000 controllers protecting 2.9 million daily passengers,” the FAA website also says, while outlining the streamlined five-step process and perks for accepted candidates.

Paid training, high salary, early retirement

Applicants who make it through will get paid while training, starting at $22.61 an hour, along with "full health and housing benefits provided."

Within three years of graduating from the training academy, air traffic controllers stand to earn "elite compensation" - average certified earnings of above $155,000 per year.

Air traffic controllers are eligible to retire at 50, after logging 20 years service.

The maximum age for retirement is 56, at which point eligible retirees receive full federal retirement benefits.

Max age for air traffic applicants

Would-be air traffic controllers must be younger than 31 at the time of applying.

While there is no minimum age, job applicants generally need either a degree or three years of work experience.

Applicants also must be U.S. citizens who speak clear, fluent English.

How to apply for FAA air traffic controller jobs

For those interested, resumes need to be built online on USAJobs, a total of two pages max.

Then, there is an Air Traffic Skills Assessment, which is a three-and-a-half-hour computer-based test of cognitive skills.

Following the aptitude exam, there is medical and security clearance, including fingerprinting, federal background checks, and medical exams.

For eligible candidates who make it that far, there's intensive, simulated training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City.

Finally, air traffic controllers who graduate from the training academy can become a "Certified Professional Controller" after one to three years of experience, with nationwide placement and shift assignments.

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