Hi! I'm a half-hearted aspiring flight attendant. Based on your entries, I see you as an articulate and bright girl which makes me wonder why you chose to be a flight attendant? Don't get me wrong. I'm not belittling you or whatever but I would just like to ask your opinion about something that has been bothering me for a long time. See, I came from a reputable university (and I mean it). I graduated with latin honors and am currently undiecided whether or not I am meant to be in the industry that most people think I should be in (wont mention that here though). Anyway, so my question is that... every time you go on your flights and serve meals and attend to the needs of your passengers, doesn't it make you feel that all the efforts to finish school are put to waste? coz i know that some of your contemporaries are not even degree holders, right? where does brains go into a career that seems to rely more on beauty and charm? again, i'm not here to mock FAs coz as what i said earlier, I am seriously considering a career as a FA. I know I shouldn't be worried about what other people think but I do worry about these things esp because I know that a lot is expected from me. I do want a stable career. And I'm just not sure if being a FA could promise me that.
Thank you for taking the time to share with me your thoughts on this. It’s interesting enough to know that someone is thinking what I’ve also been wondering about before I became a flight attendant.
For one thing: Yes, I have a college degree under my belt. But there is no way that I’m going to start comparing myself to my colleagues here in Emirates. It is true that most of them have not reached the educational achievement that I’ve had, but it doesn’t make me any more superior than them. Working here, with different people of diverse nationalities, it would humble you to know how much you actually don’t know. It may sound cliche to you, but it is true when they say that learning takes you to a higher playing field when taken outside of the classroom walls. In every industry you get into, there will always be something new to smack into your head that outsiders have no clue on. People only see the uniform, but they will never know what it's really like until they become one. There is so much more to this job...
Let me ask you, what made you notice this career in the first place?
Yes, I do the dirty work- the kind I wasn’t used to doing: I kneel down and collect someone else’s garbage; I wipe up after someone who just had to leave something nasty behind; I swallow the hurt and the tears when someone bites my head off for something I have no control over. I have to do a lot of those things which I despise and never would have thought of doing in my lifetime. I felt that I was just beating myself up for nothing at all. Yet something about what I do makes me proud of myself...damn proud.
Some people may think differently of this career, but I know it is something I’ve grown to love. There are people out there, who value what I do. A lot of times I feel no different from anyone inside the plane. Regardless of social or professional status, I’m still as self-sufficient, morally conscientious, and personally dignified as any 9-5 desk-bound workers. I am learning everyday, and I’m progressing in every aspect of how I want my life to be.
I doesn’t feel like I’ve wasted my time earning a degree to be stereotyped as an airplane maid- there is nothing wrong with that term. As when service is given, in whatever type of job, it is still service rendered, hence, a servant.
I am no different from any other servant.I am just the kind who is earning way too much, traveling way too much, and enjoying way too much. I am not tied to a desk with a mountain of paper work waiting for a measly pay at the end of the month. I have no stain of shame or regret whatsoever. I’m doing this, because I decided to.
Sure there would always be days when I just feel like tearing my hair apart and throwing the towel in. Then, there would be days when I feel like I’m the luckiest girl in the world. This is like any other job after all, imperfectly suiting imperfects. I'm not saying that I'm going to grow old here. In my opinion, it's not a kind of career to last me a lifetime. But I am here to enjoy my youth, to learn as much as I can about my world, and to save up until such a time when I feel like settling down back home again. I's such a simple plan, really.
So, I think in whatever career you choose to pursue, it will always be questioning yourself whether or not you are happy with what you do - not only with what you are capable of doing.
Oh, and yeah, I'm earning way too much! ^_^
2 comments:
I have read this entry through a friend. I also work as a flight attendant and I really, really appreciate this blog you just made; I realized that there is so much more to this job. I oftentimes question myself if this is the right thing to do after getting a degree in college, but after reading this, I just feel how lucky we are and how happy I am to be in this industry, regardless of all the tears, racism, and all that nasty icky stuff. I can say at the end of the day, it is all worth it! :) Nothing beats all these life lessons that we have learned all over the globe, at the same time, getting rewarded for it! ;)
I love this!! Amen to you Sofala. I just graduated this year, started as a flight attendant a week later for a small airline in the States and now progressing to starting with Emirates in January 2013. I could not imagine doing anything else in the world. I agree with everything you said. Not sure if you're still with Emirates but good luck with your future endeavors!!
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