The Glory Days

Sometimes I wonder what made me want to become a flight attendant.  Actually, I'm forced to wonder that since the first small talk topic between older flight attendants and relatively new flight attendants (those of us with less than 7 years) is, "What made you want to become a flight attendant?"

I have to tell them something.  

"Well, I majored in Fiction Writing."

Sometimes that's enough and the conversation moves on.  Or they press further.

"Well how did you end up here?"

The truth is I just kind of fell into it.  I was surfing around on Monster.com about 2 weeks before graduation thinking, "now would be a good time to find employment."  I saw a job opening for "Flight Attendant" and clicked on the link for more info.

It took me to a welcome screen and asked me to take a pre-qualifying online test. Sounded good.  I waste half my time taking pointless tests on the internet anyway.  One more wouldn't hurt.  

I took the test and answered such difficult questions as

•  "Is stealing from your employer wrong?"
  
• "Should you help a customer even if it's outside of your job description"
• "5+5+5=?"
• "Is it acceptable to be a few minutes late for work if your employer doesn't notice?"

Surprisingly I passed the test.  Even more of a surprise was the screen that I was taken to that said, "When can we fly you to Chicago for an Interview?"

Uhh... two week sounds good.  

After a series of mind-numbing interviews I was offered the job.  

Sure, what the heck.  I have nothing better to do for the next two years.

That's essentially how I fell into this gig.  

But now it's almost 2 years later.  My friends have moved on to real jobs with real salaries and here I am, making less than $20,000 a year from the airline.  

It's easy for me to get frustrated.  Where's my big paycheck?  What am I doing here?  Why didn't I pick a more practical college major?  I should have listened to the guidance councilors and majored in business.

These little mental hissy-fits usually only last an hour.  Then I remind myself that last month I was eating in a little restaurant in Zurich Switzerland.  The month before that I was in Kuwait City watching the sun set over the Persian Gulf as the Mosque called out the evening prayer.  The month before that I was walking through a Buddhist temple in Narita Japan and before that I was standing on the Beach in Rio De Janeiro.  

Why would I regret those experiences because I'm not making enough money?

What's the purpose of money if all you can do is work?  

I look at my education the same way.  It's not useful because of the money I can make from having a degree, it's useful because it positions me to be successful with my goals.  

I'll keep improving my experiences and soon enough the money will come.  I just see a few options and follow my gut.  It's worked out for me so far.