Trying to find a home.

[Jonathan Dowdy]

Hello everyone, I am a new controller trainee I guess as I have finished all the testing in order to move to a ARTCC, or I am as far as I know. 

I have completed all the testing that I can find in the CBT so I am trying to figure out where I can/should go to get started on the controller side of the scope.  I currently live in the Eastern United States Time Zone and would be needing to do the work in the evenings as well as maybe some weekend time, I attempted many years ago to go into the Denver ARTCC but since moved away from the Mountains. 

Looking forward to hearing from some of the training departments, I have heard nothing but good things about Boston as well as most of the others on the eastern US seaboard.  But Boston has stuck out due to everyone saying it is a great place to go.  Just not sure if it is where I need to go. 

Thanks in advance,
Jonathan Dowdy

[William Anderson]

Jonathon,

First off welcome to the dark side! We can all tell you why you should join each ARTCC, but it only comes down to what you want. If I were you, I would go some place that interests you. A lot of people control in the ARTCC they live, but it is up to you. Personally, I chose Atlanta because I grew up in Atlanta and I wanted to work my "home airport". It had nothing to do with the fact it is the busiest airport in the world and 3rd in VATUSA, 8th on VATSIM. (Sorry, Had to throw some advertisement in:)

I would also recommend joining an ARTCC in your same time zone, as it would be easier to get training scheduled with mentors/instructors. Again, I can't stress enough that it is your decision and whichever ARTCC you decide to join, will be fun and enjoyable.

[Jeremy Peterson]

For traffic volume, ZNY for JFK, other New York area airports, and PHL; ZLA for LAX (and SAN I guess); or ZTL for ATL.
For training and rigor, I would say ZBW, but keep in mind their training is rigorous. Likewise, ZNY is challenging due to the New York metro area airports and thus training is somewhat rigorous.
For number of members, ZNY/ZLA top the charts, though keep in mind that this means there could be times during which you will be waiting longer periods for training (nothing excessive but perhaps longer than some other ARTCCs whose student to staff ratio is much less).
But these are the VATUSA hotspots. There are more than 20 ARTCCs in the US each with its own nuances, challenges, and potential. Every one has at least one major airfield so you will not be going without traffic. Hope this helps.

(Disclaimer: ZNY controller)

[Ian Fisher]

I attempted many years ago to go into the Denver ARTCC but since moved away from the Mountains. 

You're more than welcome to come back to ZDV. We're pretty active and have a cool logo. Usually pretty easy to get training.

[Charles Messina]

It really depends on your views on life, the universe, and everything!
ZNY is a very busy place with many controllers and a huge amount of traffic.  Very challenging.
ZBW is a little more laid back but also has a large number of controllers since their merger.  Also a lot of traffic but the airspace is not as congested as ZNY.

Here at ZOB, we have a pretty laid back ARTCC with moderate traffic and a small number of controllers.  We are a tight bunch and most of our training occurs in the evenings and sometimes on weekends.  Feel free to stop by and check us out!

[Robert Shearman Jr]

{...} and have a cool logo. {...}

LOL.  Just what I look for in an ARTCC.  ;-)

Mocking of your sales pitch aside, though, it is actually pretty cool.  :-)

[Mark Hubbert]

Johnathan,
I would recommend going to the ARTCC's that you think you would be interested in and visiting their website, maybe send their ATM an email with questions that you might have.  Maybe from their responses you can get a good idea of what might be a fun place to learn ATC and participate.  I think all of the ARTCC's have something to offer, some of them have more complex airspace which may require a little more patience and studying on your part to really learn it and grasp it.  Others may not have quite the complex airspace but yet still are fun to control at.  I would never recommend one facility over another as all of them have something good to offer you it really depends on what you want to do.