Zoe
What careers can an individual with a business degree choose from if they're primarily interested in entertainment and tourism?
Hello! I wanted to know if there were any people out there who might be able to give me some insight on how it is working in entertainment/ tourism as a business major. What is your title? How did you get there? What were some of your past titles? What could a business major do working at an amusement park? What career titles exist? And how competitive is the field?
P.S.- I also plan on minoring in communications to compliment my business degree. Is this a step in the right direction or unnecessary? Thank you. #college #business #career-choice #entertainment #tourism #hotels #business-communications #theme-parks
5 answers
Melanie Eggleston
Melanie’s Answer
You can choose tourism and hospitality as a career. The hotel industry has a lot of options depending on your area of interest. Also, you can work in tourism for your city or town. There are a lot of entertainment options depending on what you are specifically interested in.
Ryan DeRoos Blum
Ryan’s Answer
Ken's advice is great!
I can speak to what type of jobs are available on the entertainment side, and yes they can always use someone with business knowledge. All entertainment fields have an administrative department that is essential in keeping the company open. I come from 15 years working in professional theater (mostly non-profit) on the artistic side and we were very much dependent on the administration marketing, fundraising, and "selling" the shows.
Arts and Entertainment are foremost a business and any entertainment company worth working for will have a business department with CEO or Executive Director, operations director/manager,Marketing and PR Dept., etc.
Minoring in Communication will come in handy. Besides the additional skills that are essential in running a business, it will make you more marketable and give you a leg up when applying for jobs.
I hope this has helped give you an idea of what kind of jobs are available in your future. Basically if the company wants to make money they will need someone with business knowledge.
Good luck!
Ken Simmons
Ken’s Answer
Hi Zoe!
Sounds like you are embarking on an interesting journey with many enjoyable opportunities!
Here is a site that will give you much information!
http://www.wikihow.com/Develop-a-Career-in-Tourism
Please keep me informed, I would like to know how you are doing!
Tiffany Holmes
Tiffany’s Answer
Great question! I currently work in Entertainment Production at Universal Orlando Resort. I majored in Theater with a minor in Film. Though I was not a Business Major I do know that a business degree can be extremely helpful while working towards a career in Entertainment/Tourism. At the end of the day, theme parks are a business just like anything else.
Previously, I worked in Entertainment Talent Casting and Booking at the Walt Disney World Resort. While there, I wrote contracts for performers in the parks. I would work with different Unions, Budgets, Schedules, and various departments such as Production and Events. All of these areas utilize key skills you would learn with your business major.
I also worked as a Destination Manager with a student travel company. We had THOUSANDS of students travel to Disney, Universal, and everything else in the Orlando area. Again, another area that a Business/Communications degree would come in handy!
The field can be competitive depending on where you want to work within the industry. Theme Parks, in particular, love to promote from within. So, having experience with internship programs is a wonderful way to "get your foot in the door". Once you are working for a company, you can also look into Cross-Utilization programs to learn about other departments you may be interested in. The reality is, the tourism industry is HUGE. There are so many opportunities out there.
Good luck!
Katie Williams
Katie’s Answer
Speaking to your question regarding what opportunities are there business majors in the theme park industry:
There are a ton of opportunities for business majors! Business is a fantastic foundation for many different roles, such as Project Management, Finance, Theme Park Operations, Scheduling/Planning, Estimating, Project Coordination, Hotel Management and many more.
Each role has its own focus, but all come from the same foundation of communication, planning, dealing with finances, and overseeing processes.
If you are interested in any sort of entertainment, I would highly suggest taking a few classes in or adjacent to that field . Take a theater class, or join a local community production and learn about how to take and idea from a page and bring it to life; take a film class and learn about visual design, visual effects and the movie making process; take a 3D modeling, photoshop, or graphic design class to better understand the design tools and techniques. Take a programming class to better understand software production and how computers work. All of those items listed above are areas/trades found in theme parks.
All of the items above are what can take a business major from a generalist to a specialist and make you more hirable in a specific field.
A communications minor is definitely helpful, but if there are other classes/areas that interest you, focus on that instead of the "Minor in Communications" you'll get on your resume. The experience you gain is typically more valuable than having a specific minor.
Internships are your best friend while still in school. Take advantage as much as possible. It's much easier to find out what you love and what you hate in a low stakes internship, rather than pursuing it professionally and finding out later it's not what you love doing.
The theme park industry (or Themed Entertainment as it is also called) field is moderately competitive. No one is going to offer you a job on the street, but if you work hard, know your stuff, and make the right contacts, finding employment shouldn't be too difficult. As the experience economy continues to grow, so will the jobs and opportunities.