<p>And also in your opinion do I have a good shot at one of the good US carriers?</p>
<p>I’m a guy and I’m 5ft9in. I do look good. I like socializing with people and I think I’d do a good job at that. Thing is I’m only 18 and I’m in college right now. I live in Jordan at the moment (doing college here). I speak both English and Arabic fluently. </p>
<p>Based only on that, would I have a high chance in getting the job at some really good US carrier like say US airways? If not, would I definitley make it at another, more modest one? </p>
<p>I’m doing Industrial Engineering right now and I still have another 4-5 years to finish it up. My family will probably hate me for choosing to be a flight attendant instead, especially since I always got 90%+ in school. But I really love the idea of being a flight attendant and it seems like an awesome job, and I LOVE travelling and exploring new places. </p>
<p>What do you think? Should I drop out next year or when I’m eligible to be a flight attedant or just finish off my degree then apply? Or should I just “quit dreaming” about something “low standard” and pursue what I started for the rest of my life? I like Industrial Engineering… but I’d like to be a flight attendant even more.</p>
<p>Please give me your thoughts! You don’t have to be some professional airplane person haha, just tell me your opinion in general.</p>
<p>Is this a serious question? An engineer or a flight attendant? A a bilingual student, especially in Arabic and you want to be a flight attendant? Really?</p>
<p>I know that at the present time, your long-term goal of studying here, and possibly living here permanently, is stymied by the need to find a solid source of income so that you can afford to move here. This is a challenge faced by lots of other US citizens your age who have grown up outside the US - no money to move here on your own, and families who are established in the other country and don’t want to move back. If working as a flight attendant would lead to financial independence, and would allow you to relocate to the US, then there is nothing wrong with making that choice. You could finish college at some time in the future when your life is stabilized.</p>
<p>That said, you need to do more research about this particular career. Ask in the Parents Forum for advice. Chances are that someone is currently, or has in the past been, a flight attendant. At the least, some of the parents know people who have worked in that career field.</p>
My education is in EE and comp sci. In my second job, I had a position where my multinational stationed me oveseas and had me go to a dozen different countries on assignments from a week to three months, everything paid for, in addition to salary. The locals may have had more experience to begin with, but none of them wanted to leave their families for weeks at a time, and whereas I was living off two suitcases. </p>
<p>Even now, I notice several fresh grads getting jobs here with consulting companies or in customer education where they shadow a more senior person for a few months and then they’re off on every Monday, returning Thursday night. So if your dominant desire is to travel, I would say stick with Engg and shop for a company that has a job with a lot of travel. It’s fun when you’re young, single, and sans children, or you have to wait until the kids leave for college to think of doing this. </p>
<p>Someone may wish to correct me if I’m mis-stating, but I suspect flight attendant routes probably have a seniority factor to it, and you may not be able to pull off the Hawaii route the first week, the Paris circuit the next, and Australia the week after. You may be able to land the Dubai or Cairo route if the airline flies there because of your skill, but I’m not sure you’ll get everywhere else very easily.</p>
<p>I have several friends who were flight attendants. One did several years after college and then went on to law school, another did several years after law school. Another friend of mine worked for airlines, but not as a flight attendant, eventually went to law school and now works for an airline as an attorney. </p>
<p>You do have to work up to the better routes but your bilingual status should help you. However, the flight benefits are amazing. I wish I had done it but when I was that age, there were still height requirements and I’m only 5’1".</p>
<p>My suggestion would be to finish your degree. Maybe you can intern at an airline or work part-time as a reservation clerk before applying as a flight attendant. However, if your goal is just the travel, you can work in another capacity for an airline and still get the benefits.</p>
<p>Well, if you want to try the flight attendant job, don’t just drop out. Withdraw properly in good standing so that you can easily return to your university later to complete your degree.</p>
<p>And start asking questions on flight attendant and airline employee forums about what the job is like and what airlines are better or worse to work at. While the flight benefits (which are also available to other airline employees) are great if you like to travel, there are other aspects of the job that may not be so great (such as the general unprofitability of the airline industry making long term career prospects at any given airline questionable, and that new employees get last pick of flights to work, so you may be doing the always-delayed shuttle runs between SFO and LAX instead of flying to LHR, FRA, DXB, NRT, HNL, etc. for work).</p>
<p>Assuming I finish my degree in Jordan, my monthly salary will be approximately $700 in best cases (if I work here). I checked the average salaries of flight attendants in the US, and the minimum I got was $14K/year for fresh F/A’s, which is approx. $1150/month (without all the travel benefits I could get). Don’t assume that Jordan is a cheap country; because in fact it is the contrary. So why study, work and tire myself for 5 years and end up doing something I moderately like instead of doing something I REALLY like? </p>
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<p>True, but I wouldn’t plan on pursuing a higher education after a few years of being a flight attendant as that would be a big waste of time! I’d rather just graduate here in Jordan then do Masters in the US (IF we can afford it then and IF my dad doesn’t change his mind. I really dislike the ways he judges me…).</p>