Shelika
What specific majors can I take for Hospitality & Business?
Hi
I am a senior in high school, and I recently went on a website named iseek.org - I recently took the ISEEK Career Cluster Interest Survey, and my matching top career cluster were Hospitality and Business management. Now,aside from taking business classes in college, what exactly are some core classes I can look into taking, as well as outside things I should get involved in? #college #business #accounting #travel #hospitality #graduates #tourism #leisure
3 answers
Tom Wilber
Tom’s Answer
Shelika,
You could go look at the curriculum at a school like Johnson and Wales which specializes in this field. It should outline a full set of course or I am sure they will share expectations with you.
Best,
Tom
Thanks Tom
Shelika
Thomas Shirkey
Thomas’s Answer
Working in the industry is great way to get your foot in the door.....in restaurant or hotel, preferably higher end. You might also want to look at curriculum for colleges with specialized programs. My alma mater, Cornell, has a School of Hotel Administration. The course directory can be seen at https://sha.cornell.edu/admissions-programs/undergraduate/academics/courses/.
Thanks Thomas !
Shelika
Frank Rondeau
Frank’s Answer
With regards to the restaurant industry, experience really is king. Without college, it is possible to move up the ranks from staff to Assistant Manger to General Manager and higher. Conversely, it is very difficult to go from graduating college right into a restaurant management position. College most certainly does have value though you should definitely target a hospitality specific program, at least, or go to a hospitality focused school like the aforementioned Johnson and Wales. While there, an internship would be a huge help. Once you're in that entry level management role, though, your hard work and picking the right companies and right opportunities will be what keeps you moving in your career.
If you're looking for the other side of hospitality in hotel management, etc, your college programs and choices should be similarly focused though they may be more forgiving on the experience part.
One last important note about restaurants: find your niche and stick with it. It is difficult to jump concepts, particularly moving "up" in quality/genre. A fast food manager can have a tough time jumping up to fast casual restaurants, for example. Also, by and large, most full service restaurants will only consider candidates that have full service experience- and the level also matters as fine dining restaurants won't typically be interested in people from overly casual environments.
Thanks Frank!
Shelika