Working in these fields...

The travel, food and hotel industries offer many career options in small and large settings throughout the world. While specialized undergraduate programs such as the Culinary Institute of America and the Cornell School of Hotel Administration prepare candidates for this industry, there is often room for liberal arts students, especially in the business operations area. If your dream is to work directly with food as a chef or baker, some additional coursework will most likely be necessary. However, before signing up for a post-graduate program, take some time to work in the industry to road-test your interest and gain the amount of experience that may be required.

Working in a restaurant begins quite simply with asking for a job doing anything that they need done. Small establishments with simple menus may give you the opportunity to be involved in food preparation while larger, more sophisticated settings will be much more hierarchical both in the kitchen and the front of the house. The same is true of hotels and resorts where smaller venues may allow you to try your hand at various tasks while larger establishments have more defined roles. Don’t shy away from an opportunity to work at the bottom of the organization. It provides a no risk/low risk way to learn whether or not the industry is right for you.