All Aboard!
During my Freshman year of college, I saw an ad in the college newspaper that Amtrak was looking for college students to work as train car attendants for the upcoming Summer. I needed a job but the idea of traveling on my own seemed a bit scary. After thinking it over, I decided to apply.
After going through a one week training class onsite at the Amtrak train yards in Chicago, I was told to have a bag of clothes packed and ready to go as I would know by 4PM on any given day whether I would be traveling the next day. My first call came in and I was told I was headed to Glacier National Park in Montana.
My assigned job on the train was as a sleeping car attendant. This meant I worked in one of two sleeping cars located at the rear of the train. I was responsible for putting the beds down each night in rooms so guests could go to sleep and making the beds in the morning with clean sheets after guests headed to the dining car for breakfast.
During early morning stops I was also responsible for getting off the train and bringing aboard the day’s newspapers for guests and making them coffee. I averaged about 3 hours of sleep per night.
Prior to working for Amtrak, I had never traveled outside of the Midwest. During my Summer with Amtrak, I traveled to Houston, Whitefish , Boston, Memphis, and Oakland.
Some of my more memorable moments included: seeing countless fireworks displays as we headed West on the evening of July 4th; traveling next to the Colorado River as white water rafters waved; seeing the snow capped Rocky Mountains for the first time; and visiting Graceland.
Unique job opportunities are fleeting. It’s easy to get comfortable with the norm of your day to day or to fear the unknown. Sometimes you just have to go for it.
Note: This story was originally published on my LinkedIn account.
