ground school newbies 101
There are few things in life that completely and utterly terrify me...okay, actually that's probably not true. Tons of things scare me; spiders, drawing, propellers, hamsters wearing clothing, having a national coffee shortage, going on a date....but, that's besides the point. Something that really terrified the bejeezus out of me this last year was preparing to go to ground school to become a flight attendant.
You wait months for your training date to roll around and when it does, no matter the preparation, you feel utterly useless and unprepared. Let me tell you, no matter how many nylons you by, how many city codes you memorize, or how many different colored blazers you bought to prepare yourself--it will not help you feel prepared. Nothing reassures you that leaving your life, your home, your job, friends and family for a shot that you make it through a very intense 4-8 week training program is the right thing to do.
Now, of course, you are excited and jubilant about this new career that is rising from behind the curtain of uncertainty. However, you have to get through all of the hurdles, the drills, the swim tests, the evacuations, the daily quizzes and, of course, the ginormous final exam.
I've been asked a few times recently if there were things that I wish I had known before training in order to better be prepared. So, I put together a little list of valuable, practical and some survival facts.
Down them vitamins! No matter how sick you are do NOT for a second think about 'calling in sick'. That doesn't exist in ground school, missing just one day will discredit the rest of your training and you will likely be asked to leave and try again.
When the day comes that you go over finances, how you are paid, take intense notes and ask more questions than necessary. Our pay scale/ break down/ combinations is confusing as all heck and you wanna make sure you understand how much you'll be making and according to what.
Pack more snacks than necessary. Days in training are long, and you are packing a TON of information into a short period of time and being tested every day. As much as you may hate it, ya need some serious brainfood!
Flashcards, flashcards, flashcards! They will be your best friend. Even after you're done with them for a test, keep all of them and review them every few days to keep yourself sharp for the final exam.
Find a good study buddy and group. I don't care if you think you are a better independent studier, when it comes down to the wire for each test, learning together is so helpful. There are some tests that I don't think I would have passed if I hadn't used some of my study buddies tricks on test day.
Hydrate! This may seem like a no brainer, but you get ridiculously exhausted during training. Staying hydrated counteracts how much caffeine you're drinking, help you stay sharp and prepare you for flying. Some days on the job I drink almost 3 liters of water a day!
Recite your demos and announcements in your head, in the shower, while you're getting ready in the morning, while you're working out, as you're sipping tea or coffee, recite them ALL THE TIME. This will take a huge stress off of you if you just know these and have them down right off the bat.
Get your sleep. It is a rare-Big-Foot-sighting kinda feeling when you get 8 hours of solid sleep in training. In fact, I think I can count on one hand how many times that happened.
Take enough notes, but not all the notes. After many days of training and scrambling if I missed one slide of information that I didn't fully write down, I learned a trick. The instructors will tell you what is important, what you need to learn, It's not a trick! So, don't take more notes than you absolutely have to, take the ones that are common sense, 'hey I should probably know how many exits are on this plane'...
Don't let your guard down. You may get cozy, you may get familiar with the training facility, with the instructors, people in the building. Be yourself--but, remember, this whole training time is still part of your interview. I will say it again, you are still actively interviewing with your company during training. Look nice, study, be professional and be on time--the easiest thing to follow but also the easiest one to break for many.
Do something for thirty minutes a day that will keep you sane. Some days it's not the same thing as the day before. Typically for me it was going on a run, spending time in my bible and journaling, watching an episode of a show I was weeks behind on, or skipping with family members. Mental health is just as vital as physical health during days in and days out of sleeping, eating and breathing in new information.
As much as we might not like one or five of our instructors or their methods, remember they truly do want you to pass. They want you to succeed. That's why they're there. Think of them as your middle school teacher who encouraged you to submit an article in a contest, because they believed in you! Because they wanted you to succeed. It's the same thing here. I promise.
Lastly, work your freakin' butt off. It may not seem it in a few moments in training, but let me tell you it is so worth it. This is THE job, remember that. You're here for a reason. You want this for a reason. You can do this.
What are your reasons? List them out today on a piece of paper, a napkin or, my personal favorite, an airsick bag. Write them down and put them somewhere you can pull them out in moments of doubt, or during training, post them on your bathroom mirror. And always remember, you can do this. I believe in you.
