One question that comes up frequently is, "How can I become an air traffic controller?"

Now you might be saying to yourself, "Why would anyone ask that question?" The answer is simple. The average air traffic controller makes about $100,000 a year, which is not bad for a job where you sit at a "desk" for 8 hours a day.

Becoming an air traffic controller is not for the faint of heart however. To get to that $100,000 pay check you have to jump through a number of hoops. You can read pages likethis one and this one to get the details, but here are the highlights:

• First, there are only about 15,000 air traffic controllers in the U.S. Half of them will retire before 2010 though.

• Some air traffic controllers work in control towers at airports, but most work in quiet rooms where they monitor planes as they are in flight.

• There are some special requirements. You have to be young (below 30) for example. You have to be good and thinking in 3-D. You have to have a great memory. You have to be a calm/cool/collected sort of person. You have to pass a detailed medical exam. Your vision and hearing cannot be impaired.

• Then you have to get a four-year college degree (in "aviation administration with an emphasis in air traffic control") from one of 14 schools listed on this page. Or you can get training in the military.

• Then you go to FAA school for more training.

• Then, if you make it through all that, you get a job.

If you think you can make it through all that and are interested in a high-paying career, then this page is a great way to learn more. It has lots of info, along with a movie, a quiz, games, etc. Good luck!