Hi,
I have an AAS in Hospitality Management and a BS in Marketing.
I worked in the industry after graduating for 14 years prior to staying home with my children.
I have to say, and it could be very different today (this was in the early 90's), I had to start at the "bottom" regardless. Although a degree is great to have, unfortunately, in the Hospitality Industry, it doesnt' always gtd. you a step right into Management or exaclty where you want to be. You may have to work your way around the hotel/cruise ship, prior to finding what it is that you really want to do.
I really thought I wanted to be in Sales,which is why I pursued my Marketing Degree. I ended up not really enjoying my sales position in the Hotel and LOVING my position as Front Office Manager.
I loved how busy we always were with being a part of the front of the house operations vs. the cold calls for sales and having to meet booking goals.
That is just me though, you have to find your niche. You can't do that if you aren't willing to start low and aim high.
The hospitality field is a lot of fun! it is different every day , which is also another thing that I loved about it. I loved meeting all the different people I met and learning what I did.
I did work for awhile as a meeting planner and did also enjoy that position, as there wasn't alot of cold call sales involved in it.
You need to be willing to be flexible, remember,it is a 24hr a day/7days a week/365 days a year job.Regardless of what you do.
Even as an event planner, someone may want to book a Family Xmas party in one of the banquet rooms for Xmas day,or Thanksgiving Day. It is rare, but it happens.
Managers in hotels put in many,many long and unpaid hours, it isn't known for it's pay, unless of course you work in NYC or a large city such as that... I made decent money, but I certainly wasn't wealthy
I am not trying to sway you at all, I absolutely loved working in the field, I am trying to "educate" you on the pros and cons.
Working with the public takes a "special" kind of person, and you have to be able to at least empathize, even if you don't agree....
I hope to go back someday when my children are in school full time, but it is the long hours that I hesitate with.
If you are lucky, you may find a job in the Sales offices that are more likely to be an office ,8am-5pm type job, but even so, we were required to participate in the Manager On Duty program which required working all day and evening (until 11pm) as the Manager in Charge.... I never minded doing it, but I didn't have children then either.
As far as schools; University of Las Vegas (UNLV) has a GREAT reputation for their program, Cornell University, Niagara University, Johnson & Whales and I am sure many others.
I do believe that RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology ) had a great program at one time, I am not sure if they are still offering it or not.
Good Luck to you, I think it is a great industry, especially if you enjoy working with people and you don't mind change everyday!
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
