Part Two Exploring Career Options
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This cluster prepares people for careers
in the management, marketing, and opera-
tions of restaurants, other food services,
lodging, attractions, recreational events, and
travel-related services. People in this career
cluster work in hotels, restaurants, travel
agencies, amusement parks, country clubs,
tourist attractions, and on cruise ships. In
general, their work focuses on making visi-
tors happy. Hospitality and tourism opera-
tions are located throughout the world.
Hotel employees, from greeters to
managers, try to make visitors comfort-
able. Food and beverage service workers
satisfy customer appetites. Travel agents,
tour guides, and ticket takers make sight-
seeing trips and vacations enjoyable. People
learn to ski, play golf, tennis, and other
recreational activities with the help of
teaching pros on staff.
The level of education required depends
on the level of job responsibilities. Knowl-
edge of geography and the psychology of
dealing with people and their expecta-
tions are very important. Also important
are computer and map-reading skills and
strong problem-solving skills. Being famil-
iar with foreign languages is a plus. Many
careers in hospitality and tourism offer
on-the-job training. Experience and/or
career/technical training may help workers
advance. College degrees are usually needed
for top jobs. Many colleges offer degrees
related to hospitality and tourism. Some
technical schools offer training programs.
Many trade associations offer seminars that
lead to certifications.
An increase in leisure time and per-
sonal income means more business in this
career cluster. Also, business-related travel
is common. Both trends are likely to keep
the number of jobs in the hospitality and
tourism industry growing. People who
enjoy hard work, variety, and working with
people will have many opportunities to
advance in this industry.