[Infographic] Jobs related to aviation, airlines and airports, and how to grow your career

Jobs in the aviation, airline and airport industries go beyond pilots and flight attendants. Often, these jobs provide competitive wages and travel benefits. Luckily, there are many open jobs, and recruiters are actively trying to attract recent college grads. The U.S. airline industry supports nearly 10 million jobs total according to Airlines For America (AFA).

Jobs in the aviation, airline and airport industry go beyond pilots and flight attendants. Often, these jobs provide competitive wages and travel benefits. Luckily, there are many open jobs, and recruiters are actively trying to attract recent college grads. The U.S. airline industry supports nearly 10 million jobs total according to the AFA, including:

• Air cargo services
• Airlines operations
• Airport operations
• Aircraft manufacturing
• Aircraft parts and equipment manufacturing
• Research and development
• Travel agent
• Hospitality and tourism
• Flight dispatch
• Aviation management
• Maintenance management
• Aerospace technology
• Unmanned aerial systems operations

Airline and aviation recruiters across the country are also seeking recent college grads to fill corporate roles in:

• Marketing
• IT
• Customer service
• Sales
• Management
• Operations

Many jobs in this industry are not 9-to-5 types of jobs. Those include:

• Ticketing agents
• Mechanics
• Baggage handlers
• Air traffic controllers
• Customer service
• Security
• Operations

This industry has huge potential for you to grow your career. To get to advanced roles, you need experience. Many supervisors started their careers with a hands-on role.

How to market yourself: Build your soft skills. Employers are struggling to find recent grads who have the soft skills employers covet. Those include:

• Communication (verbal and written) skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Professionalism