What made you want to work in the airline industry?

When I enlisted in the Navy I had a choice of going into Naval Air or the "Sea going" Navy, (i.e. anything other than an aircraft carrier). I spent 2.5 years in San Diego and 15 months in Guam. You can get your mechanics license airframe and Powerplant (A&P) with 30 months experience or attend a FAA Certified School. The schools usually run 6 or 8 quarters, based on the number of hours you attend each day. Aviation will prepare you for many other trades. Hydraulics, sheetmetal, airconditioning, engine buildup, electrical, electronics, etc. I also taught at a Community College, where my students were in their Junior year of high school and the school allowed them to attend the Community College. So they attended during their Junior and Senior years (the high school paid for all the expenses) and then 3 quarters later they had their A&P license. If you did go into the Military. What you might try is to find a job in "general aviation," (fixed base operators at your local airport) and see if you can get hired to do anything with the aircraft, or just "shadow" a couple of different people doing different jobs for a couple of days, etc. Shadow the mechanics, aircraft fuelers, front desk people, etc.

Hello Qunicy,
My advice, Don't grow up! Enjoy life and be a kid. All the other answers here were excellent. Get a college degree, regardless of what career you pick. You can't go wrong with education. The more you know, the better equipped you are to make better decisions. "Knowledge is power". Remember, sometimes you pick the career, and sometimes the career picks you.
I was very lucky, early in my life, a Mig 17 flew over my kindergarten and I was hooked, aviation was for me. I instantly knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. At first I wanted to be a military pilot, but due to unforeseen events, that did not happen. I was very good working with my hands and enjoyed all mechanical things, so I became a mechanic. Life has been good to me.
Aviation is a huge field that has a lot to offer. A job is something you have to do, so you can have the opportunity to enjoy other activities. There are very few people that say "Thank God its Monday". That is why your job should be something you enjoy. If you are mechanically inclined, and you like working with your hands taking things apart and fixing them, then maybe you are a mechanic. If you like electrical and computers, then maybe you are an avionics specialist. If you like flight simulators, driving,and operating machinery, you might be a pilot.
You need to be honest with yourself and check what your strengths are, and what interests you the most, then you can start to research and pursue a career. Also, try not to be affected by the successes of others. Create your own path and be your own man.
Good luck

You're not alone! Many people don't know what they want to do even when they are in college.

The industry has many exciting jobs, many very lucrative and you learn valuable skills. Skilled jobs include being a pilot or aircraft mechanic. Important jobs where you learn valuable interpersonal and customer service includes flight attendants and gate agents, if you'd like these jobs, I suggest you learn a foreign language to look better in the application process!

Also, there are many jobs in the corporate sector of an airline, including analysts, accountants, IT personnel, etc... it's best to have a college degree for any job you persue, but keep your eyes open and start researching job descriptions now. It helps to have some kind of flexible plan as you go on our career path.

Good luck! I hope to work with you someday!

I would not be worried Qunicy! This is something common. Try to find your strengths and the subjects that you excel at. Concentrate on these subject and research them. I am sure you are going to come across something you would find interesting and build your career around it. Give it time and don't pressure yourself.