Is going through the civilian process to become an Air Traffic Controller worth it?

I'm 19 years old currently enrolled at a college to become a pilot. My school does not have an Air Traffic Control major which means I would probably have to go through the FAA Academy process to become an ATC (Which is what I want to do).

When speaking to other ATC's at our airport they said that the process going the civilian route is not worth it and that they recommended going the military route (they all went through the military). I would like to do the civilian route so I don't have to enlist for 6 years but I was just wondering if that's even worth it.

Looking for anyone who has done it and if it's even worth the money and time

Will I have time to make my flight?

In May I will be traveling outside of the country and have one connection in Atlanta. I'll arrive to Atlanta at 9:05am(presumably) and my flight to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republican leaves at 9:49am. Will I have time to make it to my flight is only 30mins? Since the cut off time is 10mins before boarding, does anyone have any experience traveling through the Atlanta airport?