Last Saturday, Susan completed her last ever shift as an air traffic controller. I know from experience that that was a bittersweet moment for her... there are some truly fine people that you meet and work with in this profession and it is difficult to accept that you will not be seeing any of them again on a regular basis. Also there are some that you might never see again at all.
Twenty-five years is a long time to be doing anything and there is a tremendous sense of accomplishment associated with having made it through an ATC career to retirement. She also went the distance without ever having had a "deal".
There is no greater sense of satisfaction for a controller than to have done this job and done it well. One of the unique characteristics of this job is that you can sometimes experience that sense of satisfaction several times per shift... and you can also go several shifts at a time without experiencing it.
Of all the shifts (6,500+ over 25 years) a controller works during their career, the most satisfying one is that one that comes immediately following all of those that came ahead of it.
Congratulations, Susan!
1 comment:
I know I got to say it in private but I'll say it again in public: Welcome to the club, Susan !
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy ! Whenever you need to get Bob out of your hair you can send him down here for the day. I promise there will always be cold beer -- just in case.
Don
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