While more people are attending college and earning degrees than ever before, it's disheartening how few people are able to pursue working in their field, because the jobs waiting for them pay far too little to cover the bills.
But every once in a while, a situation pops up out in the wild where we can put our textbook knowledge to good use.
After boarding a flight, TikToker Mare (@cancercardholder) noticed that the plane was not taking off and that there was a disturbance amongst her fellow flyers, specifically a little boy with Autism who was overstimulated from the situation.
She first asked the flight staff if there was anything she could do, since she was certified in education and special needs education, and then she approached the mother, asking if she could speak to her son.
While talking with him, she drew his attention to her so that he was only focusing on one person at a time, and they became fast friends. The boy was soon settled in, and the flight was able to take off basically on time.
As a thank you, the flight staff handed her a little "thank you" give in a waste paper bag at the end of the flight, which contained a Coke and several travel-sized bottles of Jack Daniels.
She soon shared the contents of the bag in one short video, quickly followed by a story time of what happened on the flight.
You can watch the gift bag video here:
Some were deeply touched by the gesture.
@cancercardholder/TikTok
@cancercardholder/TikTok
You can watch the story time video here:
Some applauded the TikToker for how she treated the child on the flight.
@cancercardholder/TikTok
@cancercardholder/TikTok
@cancercardholder/TikTok
@cancercardholder/TikTok
@cancercardholder/TikTok
Others understood how she felt about getting to use her education.
@cancercardholder/TikTok
@cancercardholder/TikTok
@cancercardholder/TikTok
@cancercardholder/TikTok
@cancercardholder/TikTok
Someone suggested that she train flight staff in the future.
"Airlines should HIRE you to train flight attendants (and always have one extra to dispatch). Great job!"
@cancercardholder/TikTok
In response, she shared a little more about her education and the training that came after. While she hasn't been able to find a job in the field that paid enough to cover all of her expenses, she feels rewarded to be able to use what she knows during surprise moments like this.
You can watch the second follow-up video here:
As one fellow TikToker pointed out in the comments, it shouldn't take any courses to know how to be kind to others, and this was clearly something that this woman already knew.
Emotionally and professionally prepared to help, she'd jumped in during a moment when no one else knew what to do—and in a moment that's far too rare, she was rewarded for it, too.
@WhiteHouse/X
