Hospitality management traditionally requires no additional education. In fact, even those aiming for managerial positions don’t necessarily have to have any secondary education. I a majority of instances, hotel managers are promoted from within, usually from individuals who started out as hotel staff members working in other departments. This can be viewed as good or bad, depending on the individual. On one hand, the education barriers are low and it gives those without the means of additional education a chance at a decent income. On the other hand, it means that entering the hospitality management workforce can be incredibly challenging because of competition. It should be noted that the requirements are slowly changing and more and more hotels are, in fact, requiring hotel managers to have a hospitality management degree.
Individuals who choose the hospitality management lifestyle also enjoy the relative mobility the career field can offer. Hotel managers have the option to transfer locations every couple of years, and for larger hotel chains, location requests can be made in advance if a person has a preference on where they’d like to live next. There are very few industries that can offer this sort of mobility and flexibility, and for the adventurous, it may seem like a prime reason to seek out a field in hospitality management. One year, an individual could be working in Hong Kong and transfer the next year to New York.
Hospitality management schedules, while busy and productive, can also be extremely flexible. An experienced manager can expect to work the regular nine to five, Monday through Friday schedule, but those working their way to a managerial position from within a company can expect morning, afternoon, weekend, or even overnight hours, and sometimes shifts can even be split into two. This might be beneficial to people looking for the flexibility in working hours.
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