I work as a flight attendant for a regional airline. In a couple weeks, I will celebrate my 3rd year at my job. To be honest, that 3 years has just flown (no pun intended) by. I guess the old cliche is true about finding something you love and do it and you'll have a rich and rewarding life. I've been lucky enough to travel the world and meet many interesting and exciting people. I love it so much that I am able to fly about 120 hours per month consistently with no threat of "burn-out" anywhere on the horizon.
I think that what's most exciting is that in spite of the media's best efforts to bash and demean the industry we all love, the flying public (for the most part) is still fascinated by the aviation industry. When working and deadheading, I still come across people on the jets who are interested in entering the airline industry. My article is intended to help those who are interested in a career as a flight attendant.
My entry into the aviation industry happened by pure accident. I grew up loving airplanes and the industry and enjoyed every time I entered an airplane. However, I heeded the reasonable route and went to college for business. After college, I went the business sales route. I worked in retail to support myself through college. After college, I moved up to retail management and eventually to corporate sales. I did quite well in the industry, but economic changes in the early to mid 2000's caused me to jump from sales job to sales job.
Well, my professional life changed in Feb 2007. The company I worked for unexpectedly downsized me and I found myself looking for a new job. My room mate had a friend who worked for a regional airline and she was interested in being a flight attendant. After my down-size, I had some fun for about a month enjoying my time off. However, I've always been a work-a-holic. Eventually my desire to work and my need to make money became intense. After a month of unemployment, I became bored. Her excitement for being an FA, my life-long fascination with aviation, and my desire to get back to work served as a catalyst for the perfect storm. We had worked together in one of my previous sales jobs. She told me she was going the following week for an interview for an up and coming regional airline. I asked if she'd mind if I'd go with her. She was totally shocked and asked "Are you serious???" I quickly answered YES. I figured that after a month of unemployment, this would be perfect. I could earn a living better than unemployment comp, get travel benefits, and have flexible time to interview for jobs. I interviewed and was quickly hired.
I showed up for my first day of flight attendant training and something shocking happened. As the training continued, I found myself more and more drawn to aviation. As each week of training progressed, I found myself more and more passionate about the industry. I exceeded all expectations during the training. Once I easily passed all of my training, and went for my final test IOE (that's the inflight on-the-job exam). After spending 4 days on the line, I was hooked for life. I realized that aviation was in my blood and I wanted to spend the rest of my life associated with aviation. After a 20 year search, I had FINALLY found my passion. I loved it the first time I worked a flight on my IOE and I love it as much 3 years later.
Now, many are probably saying "This story is warming, but doesn't give me direction towards an aviation career." You couldn't be more wrong. Don't worry, I will be providing you with specifics about what's required for an aviation career in later articles. My current point is that a career IS possible especially if the drive and passion are there. Right now, the economy won't permit you to charge into a Mainline airline and begin traveling the world. However, the regionals are a good start (and the only ones hiring at this time domestically-and a good indicator if an aviation lifestyle is right for you). Also, don't worry about the myths of age limits. I've worked with people from 19 to 60. It also serves to tell you that it doesn't matter what your work back ground is. If you possess an intelligence to learn and (most important) a passion for aviation, you can also realize your dream of entering the world of aviation.
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