Willkommen im Nichts

I just got a little bit of alarming information today, which I'm not sure will delay my hiring or not. As it turns out, the "powers that be" decided to cancel this month's ATSAT testing (the aptitude test ATC applicants must pass in order to be hired). The issue with this is that absolutely nobody knows when they'll offer it again.

I'm exhausting the resources I have at hand in order to find some information, but unfortunately, nobody has information. It's just a waiting game, and I hope that the Agency decides to start it up again before May. It is possible that I'm simply overreacting to this news, though. Nobody seems to be very alarmed, which is a good sign.

The good news is that the FAA can't hold it off for too much longer. Without an influx of applicants, the nation's ATC system is going to soon be running at unsafe staffing levels as controllers retire in droves. My guess? They're holding off testing until contract negotiations are finished. How long will that be? No idea.

I guess this really is the "era of suck."