How the Hospitality and Tourism Management Major Prepares You for the Job Market
The business degree is one of the most applicable degrees you can earn. Every industry, from health care to non-profits, has a business aspect that demands attention. For this reason, business students are highly likely to find employment in any variety of fields. This may account for the popularity of the business degree. In 2006-2007, approximately 21 percent of the 1,524,000 degrees conferred were given in the field of business, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Hospitality and tourism management majors in particular focus on developing the leadership skills that are vital to successfully running a hospitality organization, such as a hotel, vacation resort, cruise line, or theme park. To prepare for a future working in a bustling and exciting workplace, hospitality and tourism majors take courses in food service management, tourism law, hotel operations, and other topics related to how to best handle the many aspects of hospitality. This educational preparation gives hospitality and tourism majors a head start towards a rewarding career, as graduates will possess the knowledge needed in the field.
Best Career Paths for Hospitality and Tourism Management Majors
Many opportunities are available to hospitality and tourism majors in exciting and fun fields, as every vacation hot spot and business trip destination has a need for those who can host guests and display excellent leadership qualities. The best career paths for hospitality and tour management majors to take are:
- Hotel General Management. Hotel general managers oversee the entire staff at a hotel, including the housekeeping, dining, and customer service departments. General managers often help any department that needs assistance, and therefore must be skilled in all aspects of running a successful and comfortable hotel. Managers make an average salary of $42,320 annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Human Resources Director. Human resources directors oversee the work of human resources specialists. They coordinate the activities between all the different departments to ensure that everything is running smoothly. Directors often facilitate communication between the departments as well, and may pass information along from recruitment specialists to training specialists. Human resources directors working for a hotel or other hospitality establishment would take care of employees as well as guests with inquiries. Human resources directors make an average salary of $96,130 annually, according to the Bureau.
Both of these positions utilize business skills, administrative techniques, and industry knowledge that hospitality and tourism management majors possess.
How to Market Your Hospitality and Tourism Management Degree
Earning a hospitality and tourism management degree is an important step towards starting your career. However, you will also need to know how to market your degree to potential employers in order to prove to them that your education makes you an excellent candidate for the position. To do this, be specific about the skills you learned during your college career. For example, mention that your hospitality and tourism management degree helped you understand the behind-the-scenes workings of a hospitality business and also helped to shape you into a capable leader. Reassuring employers and clients that your educational background helped you develop real-world skills is the most effective way of marketing your hospitality and tourism management degree.
