I got even closer than you, lol. A couple years out of high school I applied and got taken to some base to test. There were little games and aa paper test, they rate you on how you did (there were math games, flight controller games, one game where you had to do some math on heating a house on the fly, one where you had to determine if you had enough fuel to make it.)

I apparently did very well, but I was just a little too tall to fit in the trainer planes and ultimately for the fast jets. They "offered" (pending medical and fitness approval) me a direct entry into an air traffic controller commission and some military college. I thought that was cool and then I could do that after leaving the military, but I got fucking work related asthma from my job! Got passed over after some medical test, cant remember what its called something like methane choline?

I felt bitter at the time, but looking back now I'm glad I couldnt do it. I didnt end up doing air traffic controller school in just civilian world, but maybe could give it a shot for after the pandemic if air traffic ever goes back to normal, lol.