Change in Plot Needed

I've finally located an article about United's new flight attendant hiring spree.

Washington Post

The minimum age for flight attendant work turns out to be 21. I've had my plotline so that Sarah would start work at 19. Oops.

Looks like I will have to make Sarah two to three years older. It will be a good development, as that'll make her closer to my age. I could even make Kirsten exactly my age, while at it, since Kirsten is supposed to be a year older than Sarah.

However, I don't know what I am gonna do between age 18, when Sarah finishes high school, and age 21, when Sarah starts work at United Airlines. Right now, my idea is for Sarah's father to hire Sarah as a secretary at his Bank of America office, because that would give her some work experience that will prove helpful when applying for the flight attendant position. But that's only a fleeting idea. The question then would be: why would Sarah leave a decent-paying secretary job to work for an airline for less pay? (There are plenty of good reasons actually, but this is something to think about.)

I just don't see Sarah getting a job as a transgender woman, with only a high school diploma, anywhere else.

Or I could send Sarah through a 2-year college, after a futile year of job search, where she could take a few vocational courses that happen to highlight the airline industry.

There are several options that could make or break the story here. I want the transition to be smooth. Let's see what I can make out of this.