The determination of a female flight attendant who both works and has 2 university degrees

(Dan Tri) - Abby Ooi used to be a flight attendant for Singapore Airlines. However, during her career, she still accumulated 2 university degrees.

18 years old living abroad independently with 230 USD

At the age of 18, Abby Ooi moved from Malaysia to Singapore with just $230 in her pocket and a career plan. She wanted to become a flight attendant, a career she had loved since she was a child.

Abby Ooi when she was a flight attendant (Photo: BI).

Abby grew up in a family of 3 children, she is the youngest daughter. Her mother raised 3 children alone in difficult economic conditions. Her mother could only afford to meet the basic needs of her children. Abby and her brothers have never traveled, so Abby dreams of becoming a flight attendant so she can travel to many places.

During her first three years in Singapore, Abby worked as a sales assistant and studied for a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. At the age of 21, Abby was hired as a flight attendant for Singapore Airlines. Abby was excited about the job opportunity.

However, by her second year of work, Abby was starting to feel exhausted by the immense pressure of the job. Every day, she had to appear perfect, behave politely and courteously with everyone. In addition, she had to study and work to get her first bachelor's degree.

Abby is a full-time employee, so her work schedule is quite busy. At one point, Abby felt mentally exhausted, so she decided to see a therapist. After a few months of treatment, Abby's condition improved. At this time, the therapist asked Abby if she had ever thought about becoming a psychologist.

The female expert shared that she found Abby to be very observant and perceptive. The female expert's suggestions helped Abby see a new direction for herself.

Being a flight attendant helps Abby Ooi travel to many places and broaden her horizons (Photo: BI).

During her third year as a flight attendant, she decided to try a six-month course to get a certificate in psychological counseling. The short course helped Abby realize that she was suitable for this field, so she decided to study a bachelor's degree at Monash University (Australia).

The total tuition is about $45,500. For Abby, this is a lot of money. Therefore, she is more determined to study and work at the same time. The program is for working people with a study time of about 12 hours per week.

As a flight attendant, Abby averages about 120 hours of flying time per month. Her flight schedule is constantly changing. However, since her classes are all online, Abby still manages to fit in both her class and her flight schedule.

To achieve the goal must accept sacrifice.

Abby admits that life while studying and working is not easy. She has to make sacrifices to achieve her goals. There are times when right after finishing a flight and moving to the hotel, Abby has to sit down at the desk to do homework, ready for the next class. While her colleagues take advantage of the time to go sightseeing and have fun, Abby has to take advantage of the time between flights to study.

Abby Ooi admits that life studying and working at the same time is not easy (Photo: BI).

There were times when Abby couldn’t hang out with her coworkers because of sensitive reasons. She knew her coworkers had planned to dine at fancy restaurants, and she knew she couldn’t afford such fun, since she had to save money for tuition.

Abby had to politely decline her colleagues' invitations to visit the museum alone. Because she often refused to join in the fun with her colleagues, many people thought that Abby had an eccentric and unapproachable personality.

While studying and working, Abby also avoided using social media to avoid distractions that would waste time. Sometimes, she felt lonely and tired, but she tried to think about her future direction, think about the big picture of her life, to be able to overcome the moments of depression.

The program required Abby to complete 250 hours of internships at clinics that provide mental health services, so on days when she didn’t have flights, she did her internships.

Abby completed her studies in 2023 and received a bachelor’s degree in counseling psychology. After 6 years working for Singapore Airlines, she decided to quit her job in February this year to move to Sydney, Australia to live and continue her studies.

Abby had previously applied to the University of Sydney to study social work. She was accepted and even received a scholarship.

Abby Ooi is studying in Australia, working hard to get her third bachelor's degree (Photo: BI).

Looking back on her work-study journey, Abby feels proud. She knows she has made the best use of her resources to create a better future.

Now, at 28, Abby feels she has come a long way since she moved to Singapore with $230. She has fulfilled her dream of traveling to many places, broadening her horizons in her younger years, and then fulfilled her dream of pursuing her education, finding new passions, and new career directions.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/nghi-luc-cua-nu-tiep-vien-hang-khong-vua-di-lam-vua-co-them-2-bang-dai-hoc-20241105225606805.htm