Training

Nobody warned me about training, and I am surprised the extent of what it entailed didn't come up in my research. Out of everything I had looked into about the job, it had somehow managed to linger in the shadows. I assumed, like most people, that training would consist of providing a hospitable experience to passengers and some sort of safety training, but boy, was I in for a huge surprise.

Training was the equivalent of finals week in college...Well, if finals week had been for six weeks. We were immediately submerged into the aviation industry with all of its codes, acronyms, and terminology. It was an entirely different world. We were expected to know everything we learned verbatim, and we were tested every week, sometimes twice a week, on the different curriculum covered. Ninety percent or higher was accepted as a pass for each exam. Let's just say not everyone made it through training. 

A week before our invitation for training, we were sent an email with a brief description of what we were expected to learn in training and how to come dressed. There was an attachment, which covered different airport codes, the military time conversion, vocabulary, and other concepts we were required to study. I was still working at the time, at a private resort in banquets and hospitality, so I did not make it a priority to study the material, as I assumed we would go over it in training. That was a mistake. The first two days of training were an orientation. We were welcomed to the brand and introduced to different spokespeople from different departments of the airline. Our class size was 30, full of young women and three men. Many people came from different states and had amazing backstories. It was interesting to hear what had brought others to apply to be a flight attendant. On day one of official training, we learned our first exam would be the following day. We were to be tested on the information that was given to us via email. I panicked—a test already?! I hadn't even looked over the attachment. That night I went home and studied the entire evening. Little did I know, every day of training would be like this. 
My normal commute to and from training was an hour, but during rush hour, it easily became a 2-3 hour drive. This made training even more exhausting. Every morning I would leave my house by 5am to beat morning traffic. I would get to the city by 6 but training didn't start until 8am. I used that time to go over our in-flight manual and study. Training was 8am-6pm Monday through Friday. We used every minute to learn  acronyms, codes, aircraft configurations, safety procedures, emergency equipment, emergency evacuations, medical, federal aviation regulations and sooo much more. I ran on little to no sleep due to studying for exams and finishing homework. Factor in the commute, and I was pretty much drained physically and mentally. Some nights I would pull all-nighters, I felt like I never saw my family because I would leave before the break of dawn and when I came back at night, I would lock myself up to work. There were plenty of times I felt overwhelmed and pressured and wanted to quit. But I knew I had to do this for myself. I had to prove to myself that I could achieve this. 
Some of my classmates held study sessions, but I chose to study alone. Everyone has a particular way they take in information; for me it was solo. There were a few people in the class who panicked and said wrong commands while preparing for exams. I didn't want to deal with the extra anxiety or mess up a drill because of them. I would listen to 'Study and Focus' music on Youtube which a classmate had recommended to me when I confessed I was having a hard time reading the manual. It really helped me from becoming distracted. 
Our assessments throughout the course consisted of written exams, verbal emergency equipment tests, and physical evacuation drills. We learned CPR, self-defense, how to extinguish fires, and set up a raft. Most of our learning was very hands on. Graduation approached us quickly even though those 6 weeks felt endless. Our trainers let us choose someone special to us  to pin us at the ceremony. I chose my little sister to pin my wings on me the day of graduation. It was an exciting day I will never forget.

It is now officially one year since  training, and what I thought was forever over...is not. Each year we have 'Recurrent', basically two days of mini training, where you go over new updates in your inflight manual and are tested on emergency evacuation drills and equipment again. I can't really complain because I think it is a good thing the company does this. Since most flights run smoothly, we do need a refresher on safety equipment and procedures. As flight attendants, our jobs are safety related. Having Recurrent, as well as online modules, is crucial. But even a year later, I still get knots in my stomach thinking about the stress of training.
Until next time, I shall be studying ☺

xoxo,
Guadalupe♥