I'm quitting (before I'm fired).

[flygirl]

It's a stupid frigging thing to do, with the economy the way it is, and I'll probably end up working some poor-paying retail job again, but I have to do it. I've been having attendance problems and I'm supposed to have a meeting with my supervisor today, and I'm 99.9 percent sure I will be terminated. It's my own fault. Part of me is relieved, the other part is scared shitless. But during the last few months, I've just been in another world, going through the motions, and not caring about the passengers at all. I haven't been as friendly and as sociable as I should be, because my heart's just not in it. Going into work is a huge chore for me, and I just can't do it anymore. I will miss the travel benefits and the MONEY, but I want to do something else. I'm not going to miss the rude passengers, the 2 hour Newark ground stops, the hour and a half drive into work, and the bad recirculated cabin air.

It can be a lonely job being a flight attendant, and I feel like this job has taken some of the life out of me. I'm in a constant crappy mood and I never get to see my family. Believe it or not, I actually miss working in the department store. I'm going to take a HUGE paycut, but sometimes you have to do things in life that are healthy for yourself, not just because you want a lot of money. My biggest dread is breaking the news to my family. My mother is going to be extremely disappointed and pissed off with me. I know she's very proud of my being a flight attendant, and going back into retail (as I might do), is considered something of a demotion. I'm at a point where I don't really care, I just want some normalcy back in my life. Wish me luck, because I'm sure gonna need it.

P.S.-Sorry Princess Katie, you're going to be on your own again!

[Evil Queen]

Want to trade jobs?

[AirHostess]

Oh Flygirl

You have to do what's right for you, no matter what anyone else thinks.

I have so much empathy. This is such a funny old job, the constant hotel stays soon get old. I don't care too much about the passengers, find it hard to be nice and friendly and I just feel like I'm just acting a character at work. I take safety seriously as that is our priority and reason for being onboard, anything else is going through the motions.

I want to re-locate back to the city near my hometown, move in with my boyfriend of 3 years and have our own appartment in the city. He is a civil servant, works in Defence (my old department) but I worked in London. I have applied to go back there but in a different location...*fingers crossed*

What did your supervisor say?

[poofy_puff]

Oh man, we transferred through Newark on our way to/from Las Vegas last month. It was ok, but if I had to sit there over and over for two hours at a time I'd surely get sick of it. And I hardly ever fly, but even *I* can't stand the other passengers! I was lucky last time though. I got next to me an off-duty airline employee who didn't chew gum in my ear the whole time!

[Apathy]

Good luck. I hope everything works out for you.

Getting out of a draining job is a good idea, no matter what anyone says. If your family tries to give you shit, just ask them if they want you to be happy or not.

[MystyGlyttyr]

My mother always told me that my health and happiness was the most important thing. We both saw my father nearly work himself into the ground for a job he couldn't stand just because of the money, and the thing of it was that all that money wouldn't have done squat if he dropped dead of a heart attack.

She continued to say this to me even after I went through something like 13 jobs in less than five years, and she supports it fully. Now I've landed at the paper and am just about to complete my 4th year here, and everyone's glad.

So, your family just needs to deal. It's better to live poor than die rich. They can either have you broke or have you in the ground. Not a hard choice if they're not assholes.

[Melxb]

Flygirl, you do what you have to do to keep your sanity. My very first job out of college was teaching 5 periods of 8th grade English. After the first couple of months all I did was come home, curl up in the fetal position and numbed myself with 2-3 glasses of wine a night. I wasn't ready for it and teaching wasn't for me. With the total support of my family I quit, went to grad school, quit THAT, got a clerical job, went to another grad school, graduated and found the current job that I have that I can happily say is my career and calling. All of that took me about 10 years.

I wasn't happy being a teacher and I come from a family full of wonderful teachers. I couldn't continue teaching if I wasn't happy and I was absolutely miserable. You have to find what makes you happy. Period.

Good luck!