Dining out at a lavish restaurant or vacationing at a world-class resort are among life’s greatest luxuries; a career in hospitality can be just as exciting, and much more rewarding!
Chances are, the job you have now is big on boredom, small on enjoyment. Work is about getting paid, but a career should be about more than just making a living. A career should be about doing something that you enjoy; something that you’re proud of. That sort of fulfillment and satisfaction can seem hard to come by in today’s workforce.
In the wealthiest, most advanced nation in the history of the world, over half of Americans are unhappy with the job they have. The Conference Board, a global market research firm, has conducted a widely-cited job satisfaction study for over 20 years. Their first survey, in 1987, found that over 61% of people were satisfied with their career. By last year, that number had dropped to an all-time low of 45.3%. It’s not just that people aren’t making enough money - many feel frustrated and bored by the repetitiveness of their workday and the lack of gratification in their daily tasks.
Many of us choose to define ourselves by what we do – “I’m a mechanic, I’m a sales manager, I’m a cook." What does it mean when almost 55% percent of us are unsatisfied with the career path we’ve chosen? Something is terribly wrong.
We at University Bound believe in the American Dream. We believe that every person has the right to do something they love. Beyond that, we believe that with dedication, smart choices, and hard work, every person has the ability to succeed. You may not have the monetary resources to become the next Hilton hotel magnate; you may be too old to go to astronaut school, and unfortunately, “pirate" is not a legitimate profession, but it’s not too late to have an exciting, well-paid, and fulfilling job in the hospitality field. It is a job sector that continues to expand as large hotel chains, world-class resorts and casinos, and up-and-coming restaurants increase demand for qualified and specialized hospitality professionals.
These are exciting, desirable jobs in growing markets: many of the careers associated with our hospitality school subcategories (hospitality management, culinary management, travel and tourism, etc.)have healthy growth rates, higher than or comprable to the 8.2% expansion for all civilian jobs forecasted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for 2008-2018. For example, the BLS predicts that opportunities for meeting and convention planners will expand by 16% and opportunities for reservation and transportation ticket agents will expand by 8%. There are a growing number of good jobs available, but the job market is tough and openings are expected to be competitive.