Passenger asks me why I'm studying

[Jester]

Plus, you're not a "flying waitress". Your job is so much more than "just serving coffee". You have to check the doors, the safety equipment, assist elderly, young and struggling passengers, know how to open those emergency doors... Plus, if someone hijacks a plane, you're on the front line...

You forgot the most important duty they have.

Serving beer to Jester!

[AlmightyALT]

Great Expectations for a forthcoming essay.

I am loving my Lit course so far, I can choose some modules I want to do and do one module oustide of the English department such as psychology or philosophy.

Brings me back to the one moronic woman at my previous (low cost) airline who told her young daughter to study at school or she would end up a 'flying waitress.' Yeah I'm sure the flight attendants who died trying to protect their passengers on the 9/11 flights would love to hear themselves called that. It makes me so cross when I think of all the incidents crew have been involved in and the ones who have died whilst on duty

I would never make assumptions about people working in a supermarket or a restaurant...why do SC's not understand that because someone works in the service industry they are thick and can't get a better job?

May I make a TV series recommendation? If you don't mind reading subtitles, Japan has a very good TV drama about 'cabin attendants' called 'Attention Please'. You can find it here at this streaming site: http://www.mysoju.com/

[powerboy]

You forgot the most important duty they have.

Serving beer to Jester!

No Jester, that is your job You get to serve the beers

[Damien]

what an asshole!

But good on you for pursuing your studies - I love Dickens' works.

Also, good on you for putting that moron in his place.

Once when I was flying, when I was served tea (green tea too!), the air hostess noted that I was reading a physics text - she mentioned taht she was also studying physics - so I lent her my book for when she was on break (and when I needed a break).

[smileyeagle1021]

I have the same problem... except I'm studying stuff that "actually could be used at the hotel"... it's always funny when people ask if I'm studying income tax because I'll have to prepare the hotel's taxes... umm, no I'm studying personal income taxes as part of an accounting major...

[cinema guy]

"What are you studying?" is an acceptable question.

"Why are you studying?" isn't.

[AirHostess]

May I make a TV series recommendation? If you don't mind reading subtitles, Japan has a very good TV drama about 'cabin attendants' called 'Attention Please'. You can find it here at this streaming site: http://www.mysoju.com/

Oh I love Attention Please!

[Jester]

No Jester, that is your job You get to serve the beers

No, not on an airplane!

"What are you studying?" is an acceptable question.

"Why are you studying?" isn't.

I dunno. Depends. "Why are you studying underwater basketweaving?" is a question I could see asking. Especially if the "why" is more of an inquiry into the particular choice rather than a condescending "why are you studying that?"

[blas]

There are lots of college students where I work, many of whom bring their homework to do on their breaks. And guess what? They aren't studying to be engineers, management, or anything else involved in the world of circuit boards.

[Racket_Man]

I have the same problem as a delivery driver

the stereotype
stoned-out, lazy, good for nothing, bad driving, little or no education (meaning HS drop out looser), slacker

ME
2 college degrees in computer programming/MIS
13 years cube farm experience (got tired of getting RIFed)
clean and sober (not to say there were some things I did in my younger days)
able to run circles around the 20 somethings
no moviong violation tickets for many years
was "promoted" (title but no pay increase) to Trainer after 9 months
planning on going back to school to update my computer skills (saving $$$'s right now do not want loans and make too much for grants) to eventually go back to the corp world (maybe)

MY CO-WORKERS
for the most part inteligent people (except for Ding Dong Driver)
not slackers or lazy (well again DDD)
no real accidents or tickets for ANY of us
no blantant drug use
not good for nothing as we do perform a "vital" but thankless service ie. delivering our hot cheesey goodness right to your lazy ass door just like the postman ya know

Literally speaking "Neither rain nor snow or sleet nor dark of night shall imped us from our task"

[AirHostess]

I regularly fly with all sorts of people- most are degree holders, many are studying all sorts of things,. speakers of several languages, registered nurses, former police officers, ex Armed Forces personnel etc

Our training is SO intensive I'm not sure why some people see us as flying wait staff despite lots of media attention etc

[Catwoman2965]

I hate people who assume that anyone who works in retail/sales/hospitality is immediately stupid and dropped out of high school and/or didn't go to college/uni.
I am just waiting for someone to try that at work, where about 85% of us are studying a degree in some form. (about 10% are high school, the other 5 or so % are full-timers) So if they try and insult me and then accuse me of lying, my response can be "Oh, and if you're gonna complain to the service desk? Well, one of them is studying Archaeology, we've also got an Engineering student, a Paramedic student, a Business student, a Psych student...should I go on?"
And for the record, I'm doing a double major in French and International Affairs

That's one of my pet peeves as well! I work part time in retail, and have both a BA and MS; I do it for the extra income, and to keep me busy! Its completely opposite from what my main job is, and its fun! But it really irks me when people talk down to me, or think that just because I work in retail, I am a peon, and can be treated as such!

[RootedPhoenix]

People are so ridiculous. They assume far too much. If it were me in the OP I'd be asking all sorts of fascinated questions about the book. (I love to read, but life's too short to have read everything, you know?) And I'd have given the twit in the OP a super-dirty look.