Education & Careers » corporate

3 Jobs in Tourism That Make Work a Vacation

Stacy Dymalski — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:42:22 +0000

Every time you go on vacation at some point you ask yourself “Why can’t I find a job that allows me to have this much fun all the time?” Well actually, it turns out you can. Even with the economy in recovery mode careers in tourism are rising in popularity. In fact, it’s because of the economy that people rely on tourism specialists more than ever. With discretionary income in low supply people can’t afford expensive mistakes when they finally decide to spend money on recreation.

It used to be that when anyone thought of a career in tourism they immediately conjured up a travel agent. However, with the Internet people can arrange their own travel tickets and accommodations directly with the airlines and hotels.

So where’s the hot, new career in tourism then? It’s in specialty travel and events. Schools such as University of Phoenix and Kaplan University offer specialized travel and tourism college degree programs that emphasize event planning and hospitality. In 2011 a career in tourism doesn’t mean just being a travel agent who knows the best deals (anybody has access to that online). Instead 2011 college degrees in tourism are all about adding value to a client’s vacation or event and at the same time saving them even more money than if they made their plans themselves. As a result new careers have evolved in the tourism industry, opening the door to a whole new series of specialized education in both college undergraduate and masters degrees. As a sample, here are three jobs in the tourism industry that have morphed into full-fledged lucrative careers.

Tour Manager

At first glance you may think this is simply another name for a travel agent, but really it’s much more. Tour managers not only make travel arrangements, they often travel with their clients (or meet them at their clients’ destinations) to make sure everything goes exactly as planned. For example, traveling theatre companies and bands often use tour managers; and not just Broadway shows and famous rock stars, but also touring high school and college bands, as well as small, regional touring theatre companies.

On a smaller scale, many executives who travel abroad on business hire local tour managers to make sure they get where they need to be. Similar to an office assistant at home, a tour manager who knows the area, the local people, and all the cultural loopholes is invaluable to a business traveler who doesn’t have time to bumble around figuring out everything for himself.

Another popular use of tour managers is when people take exotic vacations like African safaris or excursions through Central American rain forests. In these cases, a tour manager who knows the country, local language, and customs is almost required. It could mean the difference between having a great time and figuring out how to bail yourself out of a foreign jail (if you inadvertently break a local law).

Event Planner

Everything from large corporate trade shows to family gatherings (such as a bar mitzvah, wedding, or birthday party) can benefit from the use of an event planner. An event planner is the go-to person who not only finds the best deals on the services you need (such as locations, caterers, entertainment, florists, etc.), but is also on hand to handle any problems that come up during your event.

So why would someone pay an event planner to put together a party they could do themselves? Because event planners typically get better vendor deals than the average Joe, and they usually offer packages that can save their clients a ton of money.

In the corporate world companies are looking for ways to offer perks to their employees and customers in lieu of raises and slashed prices. In a pinch they turn to event planners. A good event planner knows the latest trends in entertainment and how to provide it without breaking the bank. And although a party isn’t as great as a raise, at least it’s something an employer can do to show he appreciates his staff.

Hospitality Manager

Hotels, resorts, and cruise ships all rely heavily on their hospitality staff to make sure their guests are happy. Sometimes called the concierge, a hospitality professional sets up special events for groups of guests (like an après ski party at a ski resort or a theme party on a cruise ship) or makes specific arrangements for individual guests (such as dinner or theatre reservations). They’re also on hand to answer any questions about the local scene and at the finer hotels will even accommodate a guest’s special needs.

Increasingly more hotels are hiring trained hospitality staff because it’s a relatively inexpensive way to add value to their guests’ stay. It’s cheaper than putting in a gym, for example, and a fraction of the cost of a hotel remodel.

So if 2011 is the year you go back to college to study for a new career, you may want to check out a degree in tourism and event planning. Not only will there be jobs waiting for you when you’re done, just think of the killer party you could throw for yourself after you graduate.

How to Tell if it’s Time to Get a New Job

Stacy Dymalski — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:37:08 +0000

In this economy you’re lucky to even have a job, especially if it covers your cost of living. However, you have to ask yourself, where do you draw the line when it comes to money versus career fulfillment? Let’s face it, in good times or bad not all jobs are worth keeping.

Deciding if it’s time to leave a job can be nerve-wracking, especially if the job is easy, non-intrusive, and has a REALLY BIG cushy paycheck. However, just because you don’t hate going into work doesn’t mean your current employment is right for you. If you have a career that’s about as rewarding as a foot fungus we’ve come up with the following guidelines to help you determine if you should stay or go.

1. You Work For a Jerk

Okay, this one seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people continue working for a boss they think is more evil than a pack of demons playing poker in hell. If you don’t get along with your boss, work is probably the worst part of your day. So you have to ask yourself, is the stress of working for someone who makes you want to barf every time he comes into your office really worth whatever they pay you to put up with this idiot?

Here’s how you figure that out. After work do you:

a) Down more Jack Daniels than a bride at a white trash wedding JUST to get this jerk off your mind?
b) Pop antacids like Skittles in order to settle your stomach?
c) Complain about your boss more than you brag about your kids?
d) Picture your boss skydiving without a parachute?

If you answer yes to any one of these questions, immediately brush up your resume and ask your friends if their companies are hiring.

2. You Don’t Make Enough Money

Let’s get real. You may have a great time working at The Game Stop, and Lord knows you never would’ve made it past level 8 in Call of Duty 4 without the help of the pimply-faced 15-year-old kid who stocks PS-3 games in the back, but you do have rent to pay and food to buy. If your paycheck doesn’t stretch between pay periods, then it’s time to dump your current employment and find something that will allow you to support yourself like the adult your parents always knew you’d be once they finally kicked you out of the house.

3. Your Company is Sinking Like a Rock…

…and you don’t want to be the last rat left on the ship. With the economy in the dumper many businesses, large and small, are blacking out faster than a celebutante on a pub crawl. I know you may feel obliged to hang on until the very end (after all, this company did hire you right out of college, despite your dismal 2.7 GPA) but honestly, when it comes to survival you have to put yourself above your employer. If you know the end is inevitable, get out now. You don’t want to be competing for jobs with the rest of your co-workers. Better to be the one hiring them at your new company instead.

4. You Don’t Agree With the Corporate Culture

If you’re environmentally minded and you work for a radioactive waste disposal company, you’re going to have trouble sleeping at night. It might sound overly sentimental, but your conscience is a consideration when determining where to work. What good is a paycheck if you can’t live with yourself?

5. You’re Not Having Any Fun

Not that work has to be a laugh a minute, but if you dread getting up everyday and dragging your sorry behind into the office, then you need to move on. Even if you love your boss and co-workers, and the job itself is easy (but unfulfilling), your happiness is a deal breaker. You can only go so long being unhappy before you somehow snap. Either find a way to be happy at your existing company or just bite the bullet and find new work.

Of course, all this advice assumes that you don’t have family obligations that prevent you from just up and quitting. But even if you’re a breadwinner who finally realizes you can’t do your job forever, you can at least look for a new job without quitting the old one. Or you can go back to school and learn a new trade. Either way the first step is to determine if you need a change. And if you do, don’t be afraid to make the move to move on.

The Sudden Fall of Eliot Spitzer and Ethical Leadership

Marcus Varner — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:44:43 +0000

The story broke, sending exclamations of shock across the country. New York Governor Eliot Spitzer addressed the media. His statement was brief, providing as little fodder for the press as possible. He declined to answer any questions. And perhaps there was little that he could have said. After all, the federal investigation provided quite enough unsavory details. In the course of a day, the Crusader, once dubbed Eliot Ness, who had doggedly pursued and prosecuted the scum of Wall Street, organized crime, and, yes, prostitution, had been reduced to just another corrupt public official. And, just like that, public confidence in ethical leadership fell another notch.

Watergate. Monica Lewinsky. Enron. Martha Stewart. Larry Craig. Scandals can bring down an administration, a company, a career. They can cost billions of dollars and untold losses in public confidence.

What is it about leadership, corporate and political, that seems to put even the mightiest at risk of corruption? Is it because they are in the limelight, their imperfections bared for all to see? Or is it due to the enormous stress and conflicting interests inherent in these positions? These questions have the business and political worlds scrambling for solutions.

Recent reports in the Wall Street Journal show that companies are more concerned about the ethics of their employees than ever before. Business schools are responding accordingly, adding courses on business ethics to their curriculum. These classes introduce students to philosophical concepts and dilemmas formerly reserved for liberal arts and law students. The goal behind these is to produce students who can navigate the often murky waters of leadership. Whether these courses will reduce corruption in the real world is yet to be seen.

Perhaps the fall of Eliot Spitzer only highlights the peculiarities of the times we live in. Perhaps in a less connected world, the impact would have been unnoticeable. Perhaps, as permissive as we have become of certain behaviors in private, we are still shocked when our leaders are revealed publicly to have engaged in the same behaviors. Perhaps we have an insatiable appetite for scandal but very little for goodness. Perhaps we are hellbent on proving that no one is as good as they seem and somehow find satisfaction in revealing their weakness. Perhaps, deep down, we don’t believe that people can be as good as Eliot Spitzer seemed to be. I hope not.

To become a leader in politics or business is to be held to a higher standard, to have the media and public eye, with their x-ray vision, fixed on you, trying to chip away at your seemingly flawless facade. And for every Eliot Spitzer or Martha Stewart there are hundreds of other leaders out there who perform wonderfully without falling. These leaders should be celebrated and held up as an example. I’m not recommending turning a blind eye to corruption. I am, however, recommending that we also show how leadership can work, how we can still look up to our leaders.

Are you up to the challenge of being an ethical leader? Click here to see some great online business degree programs. Click here to check out political science degrees.

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