I always wanted to be one of those people; with the orange lights who directed the planes. Not really living close enough to an airport to make that happen (thought it would be a good part time summer job) dot dot dot.

If it's something you are interested in, if the pay fits what you need, and all that, then go for it. It is not an easy job, you are constantly moving up to 50 or 70 lb things all day, and depending on where you are located, if you are outside loading and unloading planes, it can be wet, cold, etc.

There are tons of threads about maximizing your miles. I know personally after I switched my debit card to one that earns miles I was amazed how many things started adding up to earn miles. Look at what you spend money on, even the boring monthly bills, and see if you can't somehow earn miles from them.

Good luck whichever way you choose.