There are careers beyond MBA, Medicine and Engineering, Management, etc. that have equally great scope. There are more than 150 rewarding careers many of us are not even aware of, and those few, who are willing to take the chance, lack the right amount of knowledge and the remaining others are discouraged by their parents and become skeptical, and end up following the sheep heard. One such field is Hotel Management.
Often, when people hear this word, they visualize a man wearing a white apron, serving food. At least, 70% of people still think hotel management is just about cooking or serving food. If you too are one of those who fall in this category, read on.
Here are 5 myths about a career in Hotel Management, and a quick reality check:
MYTH 1- Hotel Management Is Just About Cooking And Serving Food
Reality: Hotel Management is much more than just cooking. It is a serious business that involves food and beverage service going up to housekeeping department – who maintain clean and comfortable environment in the hotel, front-office operation – who ensure smooth operations between departments and looks after the needs of the guest on arrival and during the stay in the hotel, event planners – who are involved in conception and completion of the events such as conferences, festivals, etc, and sales and marketing people and accounting department to name a few. Hence, there are numerous specialized career paths to explore in a hospitality industry.
MYTH 2- You Are Restricted To Hotel Industry After Pursing Hotel Management
Reality: With a hotel management degree one is not constrained to the hotel industry but sky is the limit. This industry offers a myriad of exciting and diverse career opportunities, which is directly related to the HM degree such as,
- Accommodation manager in hospitals, conference centers, care homes, etc.
- Event manager, working in exhibitions and fairs, conference, product launch, etc.
- Airlines, work as a cabin crew, culinary manager, flight attendants, etc.
- Travel & tourism sector open up avenues such as travel agents, sales managers, and tour managers, etc.
- One can work as cruise manager or a casino manager in cruses and casinos
- Working as a professor in education sector
MYTH 3- Low Score In School = Hotel Management Degree
Reality: It takes a lot more than just marks to own a Hotel Management degree. One needs to be skillful to be a part of this exciting yet challenging industry. The vast college course it encompasses within itself, certainly doesn’t make this course lack in knowledge management. One has to go through a rigorous process before getting admission, starting with a written examination, that tests one’s analytical, logical, mathematical and language abilities, followed by a group discussion and lastly an interview. Student scoring high marks are also opting for this rewarding career as it not only provides exposure in terms of meeting new people or developing one’s overall personality, but with globalization, it is one of the fastest-growing industry, and is ranked 2nd in terms of employ-ability after IT sector. So, today is the perfect time to get started.
MYTH 4- You Will Take Time To Establish And Get Less Paying Job
Reality: Isn’t this true for any career? In the beginning of any career, you have to start with trivial duties, to get an understanding of the basics of business have a firm foundation. You don’t reach higher position until and unless you work hard for it. Once you graduate with a hotel management degree, there are limitless opportunities waiting for you. You are eligible to join hospitality sector as a management trainee moving up the ladder as a director general in few years. The initial salary is approximately INR 15000 which goes up to lakhs per month, with experience.. You get to work with chains like Hilton, Hyatt, Radisson and you get an opportunity can take transfer easily from India to overseas. So, it’s not wrong to say your degree can become passport to the world.
MYTH 5- Women Don’t Have Good Prospects In Hospitality Industry
Reality: Despite significant progress in many years, it is still believed that women can’t do well in hotel industry. Many hold a perception against women stating they are not firm enough to make any decisions. But hospitality industry is quite incompetent without the grace and elegance that a women brings with herself. Take an example of guest relations – women employees are more preferred over male due to their pleasing personality, and women also fair better at verbal and interpersonal skills, and are also good at handling pressure. According to the reports of TOI 2013, women perform large chunk of hospitality jobs, and the proportion of women in senior positions has also increased. So, it is fair to so say the industry today holds more potential for women than ever before.
Skills Required
- Good written and spoken communication skills
- Good Interpersonal skills
- Pleasing personality
- Ability to keep calm during stress
- Business skills
- Energy and enthusiasm
Career Path To Follow In Order To Pursue Hotel Management:
Path 1 – Pursue graduation in Hotel Management for 3 years and go for Post-graduation
Path 2– Pursue Diploma in Hotel Management for 6 months to 1 year, then pursue Diploma/Post Graduation Diploma in Hotel Management for 1-2 years
Career selection is one of the most important decision of one’s life, one needs to come out of the vicious circle of tunnel vision, and not depend on half knowledge/information, and make a wrong career choice. Just like the right amount of salt can take your food to a different level, similarly making the right career decision can bring you the same amount of happiness and satisfaction. Hotel Industry is beyond cooking or operator answering phone call on the second ring and surely has a lot of scope in the coming years, and with globalization it is here to stay, it has large employment opportunities. If you have the soft skills, and you’re ready to communicate with people from different countries, religions and backgrounds, and work really hard, a degree in hotel management is worth pursuing.
Do you wish to dive deep into a career in Hotel Management? You can try out our ‘Virtual Internships Program’’ in Hospitality today and get yourself upskilled and certified from Mindler.
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