Don't worry about whether or not you have enough boating experience to do job. You will learn most of skills you need on job, and "The Yachtie Bible: How to Get Paid While Traveling in Style", (available at http://www.booklocker.com/books/842.html), will show you how to get training and experience you need to secure your first job. After that, if you enjoy work, and you get along well with your employers and crewmates, you can work your way up pay scale rapidly.

Before you say, "I couldn't do that, I get seasick," you need to know that everybody gets seasick. "The Yachtie Bible" looks at various remedies you can use until you get your "sea legs." The important thing is to start working, which means:

· Getting to a place where there are yachts, · Getting to know other people working on yachts, · Convincing those other people that you are willing to work, and to learn, · Satisfying minimum sea safety requirements by taking an STCW- 95 Basic Safety course. (We'll cover what, where and how of this shortly.)

The yachting community is very friendly and you will be amazed to discover how small world really is once you begin to travel.

Yachting is a brilliant way to jump-start your life. Give it a try!

Here are a few things to consider if you want to be a flight attendant:

* You may be away 4-10 days at a time.

* Starting salaries are quite low, but increase handsomely with seniority.

* Attendants may be scheduled for up to 16 hours at a time on some long haul flights. (My sister says she doesn't sit down for whole trip on a 10 hour trans-Atlantic flight.)

* Depending on whether you work for a small or large airline, you could be a crew of 1 or 18, who serve up to 400 passengers.

* Some flight attendants see nothing but same two cities day in and day out as they fly back and forth between them, while others enjoy layovers in worlds most exotic locations. Shop around before you commit to an airline.

* Carriers look for candidates with good communication skills, adaptability, and who work well without supervision.

* For international flights, bi-lingual and tri-lingual applicants are preferred.

* Attendants should have a minimum of a high school education or GED, and most have at least some college.

* Flight attendants receive 4 - 6 weeks arduous training from airline that hires them, whether or not they have had any previous experience or training.

* Regarding lay offs in currently troubled airline industry, here are some quotes I gleaned from a flight attendants online forum at www.flightattendants.org (If you really want to hear what FA's are saying, go read these discussions, they are very enlightening):

Here's pro: "The airline industry is in trouble but it isn't going to hell just yet. I've been working as a FA for about 3 years and believe that my job is secure. I do work for a regional but haven't seen a lot of people come from other airlines to us because of layoffs. We suspended hiring in September until beginning of new year and plan to start again in spring. In fall there is usually less flying overall than in other months so it made sense to stop hiring. The first year money is really funny and that's when a lot of people leave. At (blanked by Kim) we start at $16.69 an hour with an 80 hour guarantee (Monthly), there is no max but it would be hard (if not impossible) to fly more than 100 hours in best and busiest of months. Right now most people are getting pretty close to 85 hours. Per diem is $1.40 an hour from check in to 15 minutes after block in. There is no talk of layoff or company trying to ask for concessions." - skywaiter

And here's con: "The airline industry, especially charter industry, is very much a seasonal operation. Though airlines fly year round there are more flights in winter and summer than in spring and fall. So for first few years of employment with a charter carrier it is common to be laid off during slower seasons. (This from a Canadian FA, with more dramatic seasonal traffic fluctuations than in States.) Newer crew members go through layoffs, being on and off of reserve. Eventually, though, if you stick it out you get enough seniority to fly year round. Not everyone can wait around and suffer ups and downs of industry, which helps others hold their jobs year round. You won't always be at bottom of list and it only gets better." - FlyLucky (Moderator)

If this sounds like a job you want to pursue, follow a few of these links for more information:

www.flightattendantcareerguide.com www.aepsairfairs.com - Aviation Employee Placement Service Job Fairs www.aeps.com - Aviation Employee Placement Service www.flightattendants.org www.wiai.org - Women in Aviation International www.nbaa.org - National Business Aviation Association, Inc. www.afanet.org - The Association of Flight Attendants, AFL-CIO www.aviationcareer.net - AviationCareer.net