commentr/StutterFebruary 1, 2022

Content

Can't upvote this enough! I got bit by the flying bug in the middle of high school about 20 years ago and started my flying lessons immediately after graduating in 2003. Having to talk on the airplane radios was absolutely *the worst* at first but I got through it. These days I'm a first officer a large regional airline and am about a third of the way through my captain upgrade training. Prior to my airline job I flew for several charter operators (companies that offer chartered jet services to the public) for almost nine years and did about five years of flight instructing before that. My stutter is still a day-to-day struggle at times but on the whole I'm more than glad that I stuck to it and didn't choose another career or job simply because it presented less anxiety-inducing speaking situations. At the airlines there's often points where passenger announcements are required/desired (even working as a first officer) but even those have gotten to the point where they're usually a non-issue for me now. I absolutely understand the want/need/craving a stutterer has to not make themselves vulnerable but, in the long run, they're better off. Hang in there, keep putting yourself out there, and good luck!

Themes

School & WorkCauses & VariabilityCommunity & SupportCoping & Advocacy

Subthemes

Employment & CareerSituational VariabilityPersonal StoriesMindset shift