There are several types of jobs in hospitality management that many people are not familiar with. If you are planning on earning an undergraduate degree or you are going a step further to earn a graduate degree in the field, you need to know which types of career options are available to you. Knowing the career options available to you will help you take the right curriculum and the right elective courses while you are going through your formal training program. Here are some of the popular career paths you can take in hospitality management with the right degree and experience.
Types of Jobs That Demonstrate Continuous Growth in Hospitality
Many people assume that hospitality majors all work in hotel or restaurants once they graduate, but that is not necessarily the case. Becoming a hotel manager or a restaurant management may be popular choices for alumni who choose this profession, but there are more facets to the industry than you might initially think. Careers in hospitality offer great pay, a dynamic work environment, and most of all opportunity.
There is a long list of careers and professions in the field that you can pursue, but it is the management level positions that demonstrate growth that should be focused on. Here are the titles that you must take time to research before you cross them off of the of potential options:
- Meeting and Convention Planning
- Event Management
- Executive Chef
- Hotel Management
- Restaurant Management
- General Spa Management
- Human Resource Management
- Sales Management
- Bar Management
- Catering Supervising
- Food and Beverage Directing
- Cruise Directing
- Travel Activities Directing
- Recreation Management
- Tour Management
- Event Production Management
Why is Hospitality a Good Field to Get Into?
In the past, the last field that people earning a degree would consider was hospitality. This is primarily because it is an industry that tends to be hit hardest when there is a recession. While profits in travel and other entertainment industries did plummet during the recession, this consumer-minded culture has bred a society of people who enjoy entertainment and enjoy their free time. In fact, since the industry is such a diverse one, growth has skyrocketed in the last years. According to Career Builder, with 12.4 million people working in hospitality and growth being reported at 17 percent, you can see why it is a good field to pursue a profession in.
What Steps Can You Take to Enter the Hospitality Industry?
There are several different paths that you can take to work your way up from an entry-level hospitality positions to management. The first step is to get an undergraduate degree in business as it relates to hospitality or a specific setting. By working in lower level roles for several years, you can eventually climb to lead, supervisor and manager. If you want to speed up the process by attaining knowledge, you can earn a Master’s of Business Administration with the right concentration.
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Be sure to price the cost of graduate degrees before you start to apply to schools. The real cost of an MBA can range between $100,000 and $200,000 when everything is said and done, according to Investopedia. If you believe that holding an MBA will get you perceived as an asset in hospitality management, you might be able to earn a return by getting paid a high salary. Compare salaries for the various types of jobs in hospitality management and make a decision.