here come's the trash lady

[SolidCactus]

I could be wrong here, but being a Flight Attendant used to be a highly esteemed career (back before the days that airlines actually became the Greyhound bus of the sky, and they actually transported the wealthiest individuals), and the really sad part is that a lot of the men and women flight attendants at US and other legacy airlines probably worked in this industry when it was a position where they catered to the elite. Just hope that time doesn't do the same thing to you - that is has to their positions - because if the investors have their way, mechanics will make $12 an hour, and so will the pilots...

 

[galley princess]

Oh dear,

Oh Mr. Mechanic, do you have a master's degree?

Oh Mr. Airbus driver do you have post graduate work?

I do, and I choose my own "career". I can be a career surfer for all it involves you. Unlike you, if US/UA finally buries itself in management incompentence (managers that also have college degrees generally, unequivical proof that it does not equal intelligence) I will probably make post flight attendant more than you will.

Crawl back into your little hole.

 

[RDU Jetblast]

Oh dear,

Oh Mr. Mechanic, do you have a master's degree?

Oh Mr. Airbus driver do you have post graduate work?

I do, and I choose my own "career". I can be a career surfer for all it involves you. Unlike you, if US/UA finally buries itself in management incompentence (managers that also have college degrees generally, unequivical proof that it does not equal intelligence) I will probably make post flight attendant more than you will.

Crawl back into your little hole.

You have a master's degree and you CHOSE to be a flight attendant? Pray tell! Why?

 

[galley princess]

There are a lot of answers to your question but I guess the shortest one is : Freedom and lifestyle.

You are falling prey to exactly what airlines want you to think about flight attendants. "waitresses in the sky". Did you know that years ago they required a Bachelors at the then best airlines for a while? Guess why they withdrew it? They were getting killed in contract negotiations. I admit that at US it's probably around 60-40% that have a degree, given that a lot of US f/as originated in PIT, which is a blue collar town. Still, if you looked at Continental, United, American and Delta I would guess the percentage is higher. The more educated you are, the more likely you are to be curious about the world and look for an affordable way to see it.

I do have experience outside the airlines, I worked for a fortune 500 company. I hated every day, seeing the same people, knowing their worlds were small and mine was getting that way. Education buys you choices, and in my case freedom. It is my belief that every flight attendant should have a plan B, it will make us stronger. So do I use my education? Sometimes, sometimes not, but my world is bigger than most peoples' and I like it that way.

Open your mind, just because a guy is an aircraft mechanic doesn't mean he doesn't read Proust. Maybe he just likes to work with his hands and not take work home. Just because a flight attendant pours drinks doesn't mean they don't have a rich personal life. The flight attendants that you see that are bitter and mean, they don't have a life outside this nonsense. Some of them may not have a degree, but they're learning more travelling than the jokers in the sandcastle with their degrees who have made US the worst airline in the world.

 

[RDU Jetblast]

I hear you. It just seems like you spent too much for your education to have to take the abuse and pay f/a's have to endure.

But then so do teachers, I guess.

It depends on your degree but I imagine it is hard to get back into say accounting if your resume says you were a flight attendant for the last six years.

 

[galley princess]

That's where you get into skills. The beauty of technical skills is that someone always needs them. Of course it requires the individual to update and maintain the skills, but that's just being a grownup. It requires time, and it isn't always fun, but in this environment with the company I work for, it is vital, and really this applies to everyone in America right now. We are ALL replaceable, the objective is to land on your feet.

Here's where flight attendants can really win: technical skills + flight attendant = employer who needs someone who can play nice in the sandbox.

You'd be surprised how often I have heard managers wish for an employee who can get along with the office. People aren't just weird on airplanes, there's a lot of them that stay that way upon disembarkation. People skills by themselves are not very valuable, but pair them with a technical skill and then you have something.

Believe it or not, I really don't take much garbage on the airplane. That is where those people skills come in and your humility to the world. Never underestimate the power of keeping one's mouth shut and smile on, it can be priceless with that idiot that I have to put up with for 9 hours. But guess what? 9 hours later he is someone else's idiot. That's a beautiful thing.