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So, you want to become a flight attendant. Or, more specifically, you think you want to become a flight attendant. Most aspiring flight attendants are eager to jump right into the application process without first thoroughly researching the career. Heres a look at what to expect.
Then and Now
United Airlines was the first commercial airline to hire a female flight attendant in 1930; her name was Ellen Church. She and seven other single women comprised the original eight stewardesses. Their primary role was to provide comfort to the traveling public. Minimum qualifications were such that the applicants had to be single, registered nurses. Marriage, pregnancy, or weight gain meant instant job termination and most stewardesses were forced out of the profession by age 32 due to old age.
Thanks largely to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, airlines can no longer discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, or marital status. This legislation helped transform the job from a short-term endeavor – strictly for young, single women – to a long-term career option for virtually anyone.
In the 1970s and 1980s, there was a large influx of men into the industry, which created the need for a non-gender specific term to describe the position. Hence, the term flight attendant was born.
Today, there are approximately 100,000 flight attendants in the United States; 70% are female and 30% are male (this gender gap, however, is narrowing and it is not uncommon to see all male crews on certain flights). The average age is 25 to 35 and 50% are married. Over one-third have a college degree (although only a high school diploma is required); common majors include Communications, French, Spanish, and Geography. Pay averages around $16,000 for the first year and up to $50,000 after 14 to 15 years. The turnover rate is high (especially among new-hires), but job satisfaction is equally high among those who manage to survive the first year. Average seniority is 10 years.
Successful flight attendants describe themselves as friendly, outgoing, patient, flexible, reliable, and punctual (there is absolutely zero tolerance for being late) – unsuccessful ones as aggressive, temperamental, impatient, and inflexible. Typical concerns include job security (Is my airline going to downsize or go out of business?), long hours, and low pay.
Perception vs. Reality
When you see a flight attendant walking through an airport terminal, what is your perception? Do you envision someone who serves a few drinks, chats with amicable passengers, and enjoys frequent layovers in exotic cities?
Historically, the public perception of the career has not matched the reality of the job. Today%u2019s flight attendant is very different from the stereotypical stewardess portrayed in movies and on television. To a certain extent, some of these myths were born out of the old days when stewardesses were elegant nurses who worked on spacious airplanes with relatively few passengers. In 1978, however, airline deregulation changed everything. The government no longer controlled fares and route structures as they had in the past. This created bidding wars and turned airlines into cost-cutting machines. Today, it is nothing more than a numbers game where more passengers equals greater revenue. The result: planes are now overcrowded, creating cramped conditions and a culture of hostile passengers. This leaves flight attendants in a rather unenviable position.
These are just a few of the not-so-enticing aspects of the job. As a flight attendant, you must:

Endure 4 to 7 weeks of typically unpaid initial training, a portion of which takes place on nights and weekends.
Buy a uniform at a cost of approximately $1,000 (automatic bi-monthly payroll deductions are available to help ease this financial burden).
Endure a 6 to 12 month probationary period during which you will be under scrutiny and required to report to work at a moments notice.
Demonstrate remarkable strength and agility (for example, move a 200+ pound beverage cart through cramped aisles or lift heavy suitcases over passengers heads into tightly packed overhead compartments).
Remain courteous and professional despite sometimes abusive passenger behavior.
React quickly to stressful in-flight medical emergencies.
Endure occasionally violent air turbulence (sometimes without a seatbelt if assisting passengers).
Experience short periods away from home (usually from 1 to 3 nights at a time).
Work long hours (up to 16-hour days; no more than 8 hours in-flight).
Work many weekends and holidays throughout your career when most of your friends and family have days off.
Attend mandatory annual recurrent training.
Work occasionally in the presence of prisoners who are escorted by armed guards to court trials or prisons in other cities.
For friendly, outgoing, and patient individuals who can tolerate these negative aspects of the job, a flight attendant career can be very rewarding. Flight attendants do work hard, but they also enjoy many extraordinary benefits. For example, as a flight attendant, you get:

A great deal of time off (13 to 17 days off per month; roughly 6 months off per year!), up to 10 days at a time.
Free or reduced-cost travel benefits for yourself and immediate family, covering air travel, lodging, car-rentals, and cruises.
A lucrative benefits package, often including health and life insurance, credit union membership, employee stock options, and a 401(k) retirement plan.
Unmatched variety – Forget the predictability of 9 to 5 cube life!
Maximum scheduling flexibility – You are not limited to weekends off like the rest of the world!
The opportunity to see the world.
The opportunity to meet new people, including many celebrities.
Independence.
Responsibility.
A sense of pride and accomplishment (especially when you help an unaccompanied minor or handicapped passenger safely reach their destination).
The #1 Priority: Passenger Safety
Many people have lost sight of the fact that flight attendants are onboard an aircraft for one primary reason: passenger safety. Did you know that every U.S. flight attendant crew is capable of completing an entire passenger evacuation in less than 90 seconds? (every new-hire must accomplish this feat during initial training). Furthermore, flight attendants are required by law to to be fully trained on safety for every type of aircraft in an airlines fleet
Indeed, flight attendants are much more than waitresses in the sky. Flight attendants know how to manage and prepare hundreds of passengers and crew in the event of catastrophic events, such as hijackings and land/sea disasters. They know how to fight fires, operate and troubleshoot the oxygen system, open emergency exits, care for the sick, apprehend unruly passengers – even apply first aid and administer CPR.
Stephanie Shaw is a flight attendant with over 23 years experience with a major airline and a staff writer for AirlineCareer.com
For more information about a flight attendant career, visit AirlineCareer.com at http://www.airlinecareer.combr
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Author: Luther Avery
Source: ezinearticles.com

You’ve seen the reality shows and have heard the stories of lives lost, but do you really know what the most dangerous jobs in America are? Take a look at this list, and we assure you that you will think twice before complaining about your job.

10. Law Enforcement
Although it is totally understandable and makes perfect logical sense, it is a bit sad to know that the brave men and women whose job it is to protect the public have such a dangerous occupation. (We can comfort ourselves a bit by noting that it is number 10, not number 1.) You might like to think of Chief Wiggum (from The Simpsons) looking for his next doughnut, but don’t ever forget that there is a reason that police have firearms and bulletproof vests. When your job description is confronting criminals (often in unsavory locations), you definitely face perils more serious than most other occupations.

9. Sanitation Workers
Wait – what??? The folks who pick up our garbage and refuse have a more dangerous job than police officers? Strangely enough, that is the case. The fatality rate for sanitation workers is 22.8 per 100,000 (a shade higher than the rate for law enforcement), but there is a bit more to the story. This category covers a lot of ground, including: heavy machinery operators (often in construction zones), manual laborers handling hazardous materials, and also your garden-variety sanitation worker who picks up your residential refuse (which is a very physical job). Never forget that the weather conditions play a role, especially with the larger items in commercial locations, and some of the collected materials often create fumes that make them difficult to handle. Safety has become a bigger concern for the industry, but the dangers are still there.

8. Drivers (Truckers, Traveling Sales People, etc.)
If you don’t use per capita figures, but just go off of the raw numbers, this category should be number 1 on our list. More people die on our nation’s highways than in any other location (and we’re not fudging numbers by including recreational drivers here). Everyone who has ever gotten behind the wheel of a car can tell you why this employment category is on the list: unsafe (and often drunk) drivers on the road, weather conditions, road construction (or lack of repair), etc. The list of contributing factors could go on forever, but the biggest reason is driver fatigue (often because of the long periods of time behind the wheel). This job has become safer over the years, primarily due to automotive advances such as air bags and better seat belt restraints. However, because the biggest reason for highway fatalities is driver fatigue (and we all know that the additional factor of Mother Nature isn’t going anywhere soon), it seems clear that this one will likely be on the list for a long time to come.

7. Roofers
Again, this one is not much of a surprise, as the job description entails one to work for many hours on top of a house (those slanted roofs are just an accident waiting to happen). Taking both commercial and residential work into consideration, the people who repair and install roofs have one difficult job. We’ve already mentioned the dicey working place (your cubicle looks much nicer now, eh?), but don’t forget that they are working with pneumatic tools, potentially hazardous materials (like tar and asphalt), and sitting out in the sun for hours on end is not the best way to avoid a heat-related illness. The current slowdown in the new housing market might affect the injury and fatality rate going forward (fewer workers means fewer injuries), but it makes the list right now.

6. Electrical Power Line Workers
Once again, a no-brainer. Look at the picture, for crying out loud! You combine frequently being very high in the air with your work being the installation and repair of high voltage lines, and you have a job that few have the guts to attempt. Like most jobs on this list, the industry has responded by instituting a great number of safety measures. However, there are some things that are difficult to make safe about this job. Want an example? These guys almost always have to go through cable and phone lines (which are lower) to get to the power lines – you almost expect them to go up blindfolded next time just to make it even more dangerous.

5. Farmers and Ranchers
We know you are wondering how Old McDonald is higher on the list than the guy works around high voltage lines. Well, the statistics don’t lie – roughly 38 deaths per 100,000. The primary cause of all of these deaths? The exact reason you would expect — the heavy machinery that is used to cultivate the land and to harvest crops. We’ve all heard about the farmer who lost a finger (or worse), but sometimes those machines can take a life as well. Think about that next time you complain about food prices.

4. Iron and Steel Workers
This category is pretty broad, encompassing both the individuals who install iron or steel items (like girders, columns, etc.) in the course of construction of a bridge, building, and other structures, as well as the factory workers who create the iron and steel beams that the construction-site workers install. If you have ever seen a building going up, then you know exactly why these guys are on the list – they work at ridiculous heights! The biggest reason for injury or death is, unsurprisingly, because of falls from those great heights. Fortunately, the vast majority of these workers wear harnesses, and a great many construction sites provide safety nets. Nevertheless, the combination of working at incredible heights and working with molten metal (including the lousy fumes) makes this a job that puts those cubicle jockeys to shame.

3. Pilots and Flight Engineers
You might be thinking to yourself – wait a minute, I always heard it was safer to fly than to drive! Remember, this list is based upon per capita deaths, not simply the raw numbers. Also, when you add in helicopter pilots (who are often sent in rescue missions, not always in the easiest location or in the nicest weather conditions), it begins to make more sense. Further added into the group are pilots transporting cargo, crop dusters, and test pilots (whose job appears to be taking incredibly perilous risks), so now the rank of Number 3 is not a mystery. As with so many others, weather conditions are a big factor here, but you also have the crop dusters handling toxins (and not having a traditional landing strip, either). Although full crashes of commercial airplanes are relatively rare, “pilot” is not limited to that crowd.

2. Timber Cutters/Loggers
When the reality show Ax Men came out, you were probably wondering why anyone would want to watch a show about guys cutting down trees. Shame on you (and we are surprised you didn’t figure out that the combination of huge chainsaws and gigantic trees was a recipe for workplace disaster). With factors such as high winds, hidden roots, and the fact that they are often high up in the air (usually at heights of 100 feet), the rate of injury for timber cutters is THIRTY TIMES that of a regular workplace. Oh, and don’t forget the fact that they are using ginormous gas-powered chainsaws. Oddly, that is still not enough to be number one, which only goes to show you how dangerous the number one job really is (and we think its reality show gets better ratings).

1. Commercial Fishermen
They don’t call it Deadliest Catch for nothing, you know. The most dangerous job in America has given us a bona fide hit of a reality show….although it seems kind of morbid when you look at the numbers. For every 100,000 fishermen, roughly 112 will die each year. That doesn’t sound like much, until you realize that a normal workplace has 4 deaths per 100,000. Commercial fishermen often work in harsh conditions, many times dozens (or even hundreds) of miles from shore. From getting tangled in the nets to falling on a slick deck to even being thrown overboard, this is not the job for the weak of heart. It’s pretty rare that you have a job in which the Coast Guard keeps tabs on you, just in case something goes wrong. Serious injuries are frequent, but the reward for those who do survive can be very, very lucrative. Hell, you might even become a reality show star!

Article written by Luther Avery
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