Making the Grade

Finally ...
We've been cramming for finals for about 6 weeks now.
I know I've spoken of this before, but it is amazing to me still that our training department has tasked us with learning the exact same level of technical detail as they would ask of a new employee who's never done air traffic control before. Add to that the concept that as managers we will never be called upon to work high-volume complex traffic as we did as full time controllers and our "knowledge needs" are vastly different than those of the controllers.
Nonetheless we've been training and studying to achieve test scores on complex procedures and map memorization requirements. The big difference is that we haven't had the luxury of classes or teachers... it's all been unguided self-study without a syllabus and without any periodic check-ups on how our progress is moving toward the end goal. Very weird way to run a business.
Imagine being handed a 700 page textbook on varied subjects related to your job or schooling and being told "go learn everything in there" knowing your future depended on passing a written test pulled from random minutia out of the book (in our case books). We didn't know where to focus our studies or what areas would be tested. At one point it seemed logical to take the test intending to fail it, just to learn what we needed to study but we were told that the tests are random pulls from about 600 possible questions and we wouldn't get the same test twice.
So... we got frustrated, we got a bit angry, we studied and quizzed each other and made up our own tests for practice and tried to understand everything that we could glean out of the orders and procedures... and we took the tests ... and we both failed the first time.
Now, a 72% score (or in Robin's case a 76%) isn't horrible, really... and last year it would've pased us but they changed the requirement a few months back to 80% so we had to practice up for a re-test.
And I am proud to say that we both passed! ... So ... what's next?
Training of course :)
Robin and I will both begin training in the operational environment first by sitting behind the controllers and familiarizing ourselves with what they do then by having an instructor behind us as we progress through all the operational positions and become proficient as controllers again.
~Then~ after we've demonstrated that we can control air traffic, we'll begin training as supervisors and will not touch the actual sectors again except for our compulsory 8 hours per month of currency time. hmmm...
It's a mystery to me yet, but I believe that they have a plan and that this is a new cultural environment that I have to embrace even if I don't fully understand the why of it.
Well, we celebrated the passing of the tests and the progression to the next phase.

Now...you want to talk about commuting?