ATC applying to SWA 225

Hi guys, I’m a 28 year-old air traffic controller in the FAA. I’ve been doing this job since I was 19. I started out in the Air Force. I’m sure a lot of you are aware that our industry right now is in shambles and our pay is terrible. I just got 100% VA disability income and I want to use this money to jump ship and I have been considering becoming a pilot.

Have any of you applied to the Southwest 225 program? How competitive is it? Do you guys recommend this path or for me to just enroll in a flight school?

Right now, my base pay is $95,000. But with mandatory overtime it came out to be around $120,000. 100% via a disability is about $50,000 a year tax-free.

I know some of you are gonna hate saying that this is good money but when you work six days a week and you make this in a city, it is still paycheck to paycheck. I also believe we should get paid more for what we do. The only reason I even went after the VA disability was because air traffic doesn’t pay enough.