"The thing with our profession," according to Jim Marinitti, an air traffic controller at Miami International Airport, "is that the consequences of making a mistake can be hundreds of lives. You have to be on your game every day."
This job usually requires applicants to complete a rigorous training program at a Federal Aviation Administration facility in Oklahoma City. And a wave of new slots could be opening up because many air traffic controllers are Baby Boomers nearing retirement age.
"One of the things I love is that it's different every day," Marinitti says. "When we have the Super Bowl in Miami it changes everything or when the president flies in, it keeps the job very interesting, very exciting. Some say it's like a video game, and it is. But our job is a video game that we have to win everyday."
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