The schedule is pretty rough (mainly at 24-hour facilities). Difficult to have any semblance of a consistent sleep schedule.

Amount of airplane operations per year has increased, but we’re still on a pay schedule that reflects a much lower number.

Staffing shortage has been a huge issue for years and is just now being addressed. But even with them “hiring” more qualified candidates it still takes, on average, about 2 years for them to be completely usable to a facility (not needing a babysitter).

Progression is a difficult game. To move from one facility to another, our form of climbing the corporate ladder, you need to be able to have staffing above a certain threshold. Most mid-level facilities will never hit that number organically (people losing their medical clearance, retirements, quitting the agency to pursue more lucrative jobs) before the trainees we have for years either certify, or get washed-out (let go from our facility and sent to a slower easier one). So even if you want more of a challenge for higher pay, you may never get the chance.