What I Wish I Knew Before I Became A Flight Attendant
“Some people say it's easier to get into Harvard than to become a flight attendant."
Have you ever thought about becoming a flight attendant? Between the free flights and the opportunity to travel and see the world, being a flight attendant is very appealing. Some would even call it a dream job. However, becoming a flight attendant isn't the easiest, and if you get the job, you'll find out that though rewarding, it is not for everybody.
I recently spoke with three flight attendants and they gave me the scoop on the things they wish they knew before becoming a flight attendant. If you are thinking about being a flight attendant, you should read what they have to say first.
1. The interview process for becoming a flight attendant is a long one.
It's rare that there are openings for a flight attendant job and when there is one, thousands and thousands of people apply at one time. Once selected to interview, you may be required to do three to four interviews (and that depends on the airlines and recruiters). For most airlines, the on-site interview will be about eight hours long. Once you apply and if you are not selected, you have to wait another six months until you can interview again.
2. You cannot listen to everyone before your job interview.
There is a flight attendant group on Facebook called Flight Attendant Career Connections. On this private group's page, you can get interview and training tips (plus more). While it is insanely cool to have this type of resource at your fingertips, you should not solely rely on that page for all of your sage advice. Even if you join the group, still do your own research on flight attending. Research the company and flight attendant information online, practice basic interview questions. Also, if you happen to know someone that's a flight attendant, talk to them.
3. Always have more than one source of income, especially when you are new to the job.
If you are quitting your current job to be a flight attendant, leave on a good note, and try to still work part-time for them if you can. When you first start out as a flight attendant, you may not get as many hours as you want so it'll be good to have a second set of income. First year flight attendants have it rough. During your first year, you won't make much money so it'll be helpful to have a second or third gig.
4. Training to become a flight attendant will be the hardest thing in life.
Training is hard. Many people say it's the hardest thing they've ever done. One flight attendant felt that training is like the game of survivor, rushing a sorority with a touch of boot camp. Training moves so fast and you have to pass every test with a 90 percent or higher. Anything below is failing. You can only fail two tests and if you fail three times you'll be sent home and you can't apply again until six months later. Training is also seven weeks long and you don't get paid (remember the importance of a second source of income?).
5. Being a flight attendant can make you home/family/friend sick in the beginning.
If you become a flight attendant, more than likely you will have to relocate to a new city. It can be rather difficult if you don't have a support system in place to help you through your transitions during your first year. Living with family, if possible, during your first year is ideal.
6. In the beginning, it can be hard to date or maintain your relationships.
You're always traveling and at the start of your career, you are only home for a few days a month. This can sometimes make it hard to maintain relationships, especially if they are long-distance.
7. Sometimes you will be “on call" and it'll have its ups and downs.
As a flight attendant, you're "on call" like most other jobs and the airline will call you if you're needed. It's great because you may have extra days off to relax. On the other hand, however, you're very limited to the things you can do for the day in case you're needed for work. For example, sometimes flight attendants miss a lot of family events (i.e. holidays, graduations, summer vacations, etc.) because they are required to work during those times.
8. The comfort/service animal has no limitations.
Emotional support animals, or comfort/service animals are animals that have been deemed as able to fly with their owners in-cabin. A letter from a licensed medical professional is usually needed, but these animals help flyers who suffer from anxiety, mental health disabilities, and are used to support the overall physical, mental, and/or cognitive condition of the passenger. What you might not know is that any animal can be considered a comfort animal, even pigs. When you are a flight attendant, you will see some of the most random animals on the plane.
9. It'll be rare to work with the same people.
Every flight attendant that I spoke with agreed that this was one of their favorite aspects of being a flight attendant. As a flight attendant, you will have the opportunity to increase your network at your company because on almost every flight you will work with someone you've never met or worked with before.
10. Your entire life will change.
As a flight attendant, you'll have the opportunity to see the world. Maybe that means you are flying to Paris for two days for free or fly to Chicago for lunch just to come back home afterwards, or go to Miami for a few hours to lay out on the beach. The possibilities are limitless. Also, keep in mind the flight benefits are the best! You'll be able to fly free (some locations aren't free but the discount will ALWAYS be amazing).
Still interested? You can apply for flight attendant jobs below:
Featured image by Getty Images
Brittani Hunter is a proud PVAMU alumni and the founder of The Mogul Millennial, a business and career platform for Black Millennials. Meet Brittani on Twitter and on the Gram at @BrittaniLHunter and @mogulmillennial.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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I think we all can agree that social media really is a double-edged sword. What I mean by that is there is just as much bad that can come out of it as good. At the end of the day, it really is about 1) having your own mind, 2) finding balance when it comes to how much time you spend online, and 3) doing your own research instead of taking random people’s opinions as the gospel (i.e., facts).
Gee, I wish more folks did all of this when it comes to if a man needs to have a large penis to sexually satisfy a woman (he does not) and if a woman who has had multiple sex partners will ultimately end up with a vagina that is too large for smaller penises to please her (a lie).
Science totally has my back on debunking both of those things (more on that in a bit). Know what else does? A particular type of sex method that is becoming more popular by the day. One that just might convince you to, as they used to say back in the day, focus less on the “size of the wave” and ride out the “motion of the ocean” instead.
It’s called shallowing. Here’s what it’s all about.
What Is Shallowing?
GiphyIf there’s one thing that I wish folks would say more thoroughly when it comes to women and orgasms, it’s that when it comes to75 percent of women not being able to orgasm from only intercourse, the accurate statement is they struggle with achieving a vaginal orgasm without the assistance of some type of clitoral stimulation. Yeah, we’ve really got to remember that very few things in this life are a complete monolith — orgasms included (check out “U-Spot Orgasm, Fantasy Orgasm & 6 Other Orgasms You Should Try Tonight”).
In fact, it was while I was reading up on pairing — a word that is used for when clitoral stimulation transpires during penetration — that I decided to do some deep-diving into shallowing (because it was mentioned inone of the articles that I read).And what is it? Shallowing is when a penis, finger, tongue, or sex toy of some sort is used in order to ever so slightly penetrate the vaginal opening of a woman.
And why is shallowing not just a current sex trend but something that every woman on this planet should try? It’s because of what I’ve said, more than once, on this platform: it focuses on the most sensitive part of a woman’s vagina, which isthe first two inches of her vaginal opening.
When the emphasis is placed there, not only does it increase your chances of experiencing “the big O,” but it can also build up anticipation, which can intensify your orgasms too — yes, shallowing can also be seen as a form of edging.
Another thing that’s cool about shallowing is — and it really and truly can’t be said enough — something that makes vaginal and blended orgasms easier to achieve for some women really has little to do with the size of a man’s package or even his technique; it’s straight up anatomy. Yep, the closer that a woman’s clitoris is to her vaginal opening, the easier it is for a penis to stimulate both. So, science makes it possible for vaginal orgasms to be easier for some women than others.
At the same time, shallowing can make it possible for more women who want to see what a vaginal orgasm actually feels like (because it’s easier for the head of the penis to stimulate the opening of the vagina while the shaft can rub up against your clitoris; based on the position that you are in, of course — the missionary with some pillows propped under the lower part of your back is ideal for this).
Now that you see what shallowing actually is, do you get why I said that penis size doesn’t matter when it comes to doing it — and getting the kind of orgasms that you want? Contrary to popular belief, your vagina is only around four inches. In fact, some health experts say that it ranges between 2-4”. Anything larger, your body literally has to stretch out to accommodate; this includes penises and babies. So, if your vagina is “making room” for more than four inches, why in the world do you think you need a 10-inch man? Yeah…exactly. It really is time to get over the silliness. The average penis continues to be 5.5”. Makes sense when you take it all in (no pun intended).
Aight, so now that you know what shallowing is all about, let me try and hard sell you on why it’s a sex technique that you should try as soon as tonight (if you possibly can).
1. It takes the pressure off of you and your partner.
I’ve been working with couples for almost 20 years at this point. This means that the topic of sex comes up quite a bit. And if there’s one thing that continues to be an issue is inconsistent orgasms (check out “Why Do Orgasms So Often Seem Like A ‘Hit-Or-Miss’ Experience For Women?”).
Listen, no matter how many articles you read or sex positions you try, if you’re anxious, stressed out, or overthinking, it’s gonna get in the way of you experiencing high peaks of pleasure on a consistent basis. Since shallowing is something that can easily be done even in foreplay (via fingering and/ororal sex) if you get that first “release” off, that makes it easier to just sit back and enjoy the ones that (hopefully) are to follow.
2. It teaches you more about your vagina.
A part of the reason why I keep repeating certain facts about vaginas in these articles is that it’s amazing how little certain things are discussed en masse — like the size of the vaginal tube. And since shallowing helps you to stimulate the nerve endings at the entrance of your va-jay-jay along with your G-spot (which is housed a little ways from your opening), shallowing is a great way to explore that area of your body as you figure out what truly works for you and…what doesn’t.
3. It’s the perfect merging of foreplay and intercourse.
When you really stop to think about it, shallowing is like the bridge between foreplay and intercourse because you can use so many different things to do it. So, if you want to experiment with a new sex toy or you want a bit more time to “warm up the engine” before full-on penetration begins, shallowing is one of the most sexually arousing compromises there is.
4. It can help to increase your partner’s stamina.
A few years back, I penned an article for the site entitled, “We’ve Got Some All-Natural Ways To Increase Stamina & Sensitivity.” Listen, even though I onceread a GQ article that said that over 60 percent of the people they polled were fine with intercourse lasting no longer than 5-10 minutes — that poll doesn’t speak for all of us, chile.
So, if you would like your man to build up to going longer, shallowing can help to make that happen. Since he’s barely putting beyond the tip in, he can learn how to be in you for longer periods of time without being, well, in you.
5. It helps you to appreciate whatever “package” he has.
Again — and it really can’t be said enough — if shallowing is all about exploring the mere entrance of your vagina, you don’t need a man with BDE (check out “BDE: Please Let The 'It Needs To Be Huge' Myth Go”) or honestly, even anything close to it.
I mean, even though, reportedly, the size that the average woman says gives her the most orgasms is eight inches — I bet those women have never really tried shallowing before. 10”, 8”, or the average 5.5” can certainly get the job done. And well.
6. It feels A-MAZ-ING.
Okay,so now that you know about shallowing, I promise that if you put the word into your favorite search engine, you’re either gonna see articles on golfing (LOL) or sex, especially as of late. That’s because more couples are trying it out and getting mind-blowing results from it. So, if you’re looking for something new to try, give shallowing a shot.
Hey, anything that’s designed to stimulate your most intense vaginal nerve endings has got to be something for the record books. I mean, how could it not be? Lawd.
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Featured image by Juan Moyano/Getty Images