Education · 1 of 4

The path

There is no degree for this. You get hired, then the railroad builds you.

1. 1

   High school diploma

   Grade 12

   That is the formal requirement. You must be 18, pass a background check and a drug test.

2. 2

   Get into the railroad

   0 to 3 years

   Most controllers come from operating jobs first, usually conductor. Some roads and transit agencies hire straight off the street into dispatcher training.

3. 3

   Dispatcher training program

   3 to 6 months

   Several months of classroom work on operating rules, signal systems and the software, mixed with sitting beside a working controller.

4. 4

   Qualify on a territory

   Weeks per territory

   You are tested on the specific stretch of railroad you will control: every siding, every grade, every rule that applies there.

5. 5

   Work the desk

   Ongoing

   You start on the quieter territories and the worst shifts, and move up as seniority and openings allow.