In January of 2016, I got out of radio for a while and had the opportunity to choose a new career. To me, the slate was clean and I could start something new, but it had to be something I had a passion for. My entire career up to that point was driven on passion. So, outside of radio, what could it be?
I grew up in Memphis, the home of Federal Express. My dad got a job there around 1975 when they were still young and much smaller than what they are now. I had the opportunity to go to the airport as a kid and run around the facility and be around all the aircraft. It's laughable now what they had for a fleet compared to what they have today. But, it was really cool back then. I also got a job at Fed Ex out of college and again got to be around the aircraft, and sometimes, in the aircraft. I did love it, but it wasn't my passion. Radio was what I wanted.
Back to 2016, while looking at every option available, not including radio, I went to my other love....aircraft and travel. I was fortunate to get a call from Southwest Airlines telling me that they were hiring me as a Ramp Agent at DIA. A Ramp Agent services all things "under the wings". Bringing the plane in, unloading the bags, loading the bags, pushing the plane out, driving Tugs with bags (my favorite), de-icing (not my favorite), and yes, lavatory services. Compared to being out in the cold and stacking over a hundred bags per flight, lav service wasn't all that bad. You just had to make sure not to get any on you.
There was two weeks of classroom training followed by a trip to Dallas (their headquarters) for more classroom training. Passing that class was imperative. Failure meant packing your bags and going back home to look for another job. I passed.
Part 2 Coming soon!