That is excellent advice from Ryan. When I was looking for a new ARTCC home, I did just that, sent some emails out to get a better feel for what is going on at the ARTCCs. I got a nice reply back from the ATM of Memphis at the time and have been here going on five years… and it will take a SWAT team to remove me!
Some ARTCC’s, like ZME, have training programs that contain self-study materials and activities. That is a great way to sharpen your skills in between instructional sessions (which can be tricky to schedule at any ARTCC). I would check with the ATM, DATM or TA about the different elements of their training program. Also find out how many mentors they have in addition to their instructors.
Another word of advice (which is not necessarily something you need to work on, but speaking generally) is to do as much self-study that you can and use the instructors to help you move forward. Too often I have seen students show up like a wet bag of sand and expect to be taught every single detail, then have to be re-taught from square one for the following 5 sessions, then they give up. That is neither productive for the student nor the instructor. Remember, instructors and mentors are volunteering their time and it is all worth it when they see students move up the ranks smoothly.
Between the VATUSA training information, self-guided ARTCC training info, the 71.10, a little Googleing, monitoring ATC (both VATSIM and RW); you could do almost all of the training yourself and only need an instructor to sign you off and make sure you are solid on local procedures.
Not to say that is that is what you should aim for, but it is the other end of the spectrum from the ‘wet bag of sand’. There is somewhere in the middle that works well for students that want to get the most out of this hobby.
Good luck and happy controlling!!
