Please think twice! Choose the "Tourism Management" Major Carefully

As an old graduate of international tourism management, I have basically worked in all positions related to the tourism industry.

In traditional travel agencies: tour guides, tour leaders, travel consultants (i.e. sales), scheduling, planning, visas, business;

In new travel agencies: operations, operations, products, Customer service, administration, general assistant, etc.

Although I am not an elite in this industry (a seasoned veteran), I still have some experience in the industry...

Back to the topic, why should I choose carefully?

I remember the first time someone asked me, "Is it a good idea to major in tourism management?" It was my cousin. She had just completed her college entrance examination and filled out her application form.

My first reaction was "Seriously?"

If you just think that engaging in tourism means you can travel for free, then you might as well make more money and travel at your own expense.

Don’t ask me why I say this, I can only express my feelings but not words.

But what I can confirm is that if you ask 100 tourism practitioners, 90 of them will have this experience. .

No matter what kind of travel agency it is, the academic requirements for sales, customer service, scheduling, tour guides, etc. are generally not too high.

Basically: technical secondary school or above, tourism Management is given priority. Larger companies may require a college degree or above.

Those with experience and resources can relax the conditions; tour guides must have a tour guide certificate, which goes without saying.

A bachelor's degree is of course better, but the tourism industry can accept people with different majors.

The only hard requirement is a tour guide certificate, and it does not say that you must major in tourism to apply.

Among the people I know,

among my classmates in the same major, there are very few people who do tourism or have been doing tourism after graduation.

Among my colleagues in the same company, There are many non-tourism majors, including but not limited to: information technology applications, economics, logistics engineering, ocean engineering and technology, market development and marketing, etc.

Therefore, whether you have graduated in tourism management or not, it will not affect your ability to engage in tourism-related work.

If these junior positions want to be promoted to management, there is a high probability that it will be possible.

According to what I have seen, most people who go up the ladder can become department heads, leading their own small teams to complete the prescribed KPIs.

You really want to be a director or manager. Location, unless you already have super strong connections and resources, or excellent technology.

These cannot be achieved by accumulation of experience and time. After all, those who can do well at the grassroots level may not necessarily be good managers.

Of course, the related households are another matter; the big guys who start their own companies and become their own bosses are not something I can mention.

Short story: Currently, the tourism industry involves e-commerce and requires the use of back-end systems.

Take a snap-up project I participated in before as an example.

Many operators only know basic operations, but when bugs appear in the system, everyone is at a loss and can only wait for technicians. of repair.

Because technicians are not actual operators, their understanding of actual problems is not 100% accurate.

The cost of communication and time costs will affect this. The completion effect of this rush purchase.

It happens that the person in charge of this project graduated from IT.

He can accurately tell the core of the problem, which saves technical troubleshooting time.

And relied on experience to make effective responses to emergencies.

Under such circumstances, tourism management students suddenly became unpopular.

In summary (only my opinion):

It is not necessary to study tourism to do tourism. It can be your alternative, but it is not recommended as your first choice.

For management majors, the knowledge structure is more theoretical. In fact, no matter what management you study, it is very similar.

If you have the conditions to choose, please take advantage of the option to the extreme.

Tourism management already represents an industry from its name, and there will be fewer choices.

And if you want to be a civil servant or a public institution in the future, you will have very few choices.

Many positions in the tourism industry seem to be something that you can do for the rest of your life without changing.

Many people say that "travel is for young people."

When choosing a career, you need to consider the risks and subsequent development as you get older.

The following simple description only represents my one-sided understanding and cannot be relied upon (for reference only)!

Tour guides, planners, visas, sales, business, operations, operations, products, customer service, etc.

These positions seem to not change much even when you get older.

Perhaps it is easier to change industries in sales, business, products and customer service,

But it is mostly possible to continue working in sales, business, products and customer service in another industry,

< p> As for tour guides, scheduling, visas, and operations, it may be a bit difficult.

If you are lucky enough to have an operation position in your company, this will be easier to say.

Tour guide: Usually they become purchasing agents, and the accumulated customers are the source of customers.

However, the advantage of changing jobs is useless in some companies with hard conditions.

Administrative positions are generally for those with no qualifications and experience. Most suitable positions are sales and customer service positions. < /p>

It means there is no accumulation of any advantages, unless you have reached the management level and have team leadership experience.

But there are not many industries to choose from, and there are not many suitable positions.

Operation: If it is new media or content operation, it is easier to change industries.

After all, everything is developing in the direction of new media, and most companies have this position;

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But if it is an OTA or channel operation, it is more limited.

Because OTA channels are only in the tourism industry, and other industries use other platforms and channels.

Of course, this work experience has more advantages than tour guides and planners in matching new industries and new positions.

In addition, tourism management will also involve hotels, restaurants, transportation and other "food, accommodation, travel, shopping and entertainment" related industries.

You don't necessarily have to go to a travel agency to work, but career development is basically It is a long-distance running type.

There is also a corresponding occupation, which is usually being hired by a casino (Macau or overseas) during school recruitment.

(If necessary or free, I would like to write another "details" about these positions. Please leave a message if you want to read it~)

Short story: Now I even feel that "the depth of the ocean is like traveling once you enter it"!

I graduated in tourism management and have never worked in the tourism industry in the past.

I worked as a part-time tour guide in college and interned in a traditional travel agency. After graduation, I worked in a new travel agency for 4 years.

These experiences have made it more difficult for me to leave the tourism industry, resulting in too few opportunities to choose again.

It’s very difficult to find a non-tourism-related job now.

First of all, we must lower our personal requirements, especially salary. It would be good if we can maintain the basic salary.

Then according to the job requirements, we should improve the matching by cutting edges and taking tricks. Spend.

I am relatively lucky. My past work has covered a wide range of tasks (the company is targeting multi-talented talents).

I have relevant experience in general assistance and administration. I can still adapt to the changes when changing administrative positions. Fresh graduates can try their best to gain experience.

Unfortunately, even so, there are not many opportunities. (The ones you invested in didn’t come to you, and the ones who came to you didn’t invest in you)

In the above situation, there are also factors affecting the market environment and recruitment time. Maybe looking for a job at another time will be different.

To sum up the above (only my opinion):

If you go for money, no matter what position you are in in any industry, you can have clear goals.

There is no need for career development, you can do whatever you can to make money, and you don’t have too many self-restrictions.

If you are committed to joining the tourism industry and have never planned to change industries, try your best to develop vertically and horizontally.

If you regard your career as a career, please be prepared to stay in this position for the rest of your life. Ready to shine.

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The tourism industry is a service industry. If you want to be relaxed, you can ignore this industry from the beginning.

What about weekends, holidays, annual leave, Even during off-duty hours, there are them when making offers, but not when they are officially at work!

In the service industry, hard work is common. Being able to give administrative classes on weekends is already a blessing.

Especially in tourism, when others are taking a break, this industry is profitable.

Even if you are resting, a phone call, DingTalk, QQ or WeChat can start your work.

Even if it is time to get off work, go home, or go to bed, things will happen. Then your work will follow.

Needless to say, the nature of the 24-hour work of a tour guide. Red-eye flights and fixed itineraries determine the working hours.

And the conclusion I came to after working as a tour guide is: there is no off work. time. Whenever guests come to see you, you must be there.

(To popularize the work process: the night before, no matter how late you get the tour plan, you must notify the guests on the list one by one of the time, location, precautions, tour guide contact information, and bus information) Wait. If you are more professional, you will contact the bus driver who left the group to check that the group information is correct. If you did not leave the group the day before, it is okay. If you have just left the group, you can go to bed after the notification work is completed. Stay up late. The next day is the day of the tour. Arrive at the centralized location in advance to receive guests to sign in. Then everyone will set off. It is not your work time until the tour is over and the tour is over. Accompanying or accompanying, as long as the guest comes to you, you must deal with his problem)

PS: Experience tells me, and I tell you: No matter what the problem is, big or small, as long as there is a problem. , find a tour guide first.

(If necessary or free, I can write another article about my experiences as a tour guide. Leave a message if you want to read it~)

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If there is a problem on the front line of the tour group and the tour guide cannot solve it, the person you need to contact later is the planner.

Problems that arise in flights, hotels, scenic spots, ground pick-ups, etc. all need to be dealt with.

In the same way, no matter when and where problems arise, don’t worry about them. You want to hide,

Especially if you don’t do something like this that will directly cause losses to the company, you will have to pay money if you don’t do it.

Relatively speaking, customer service positions that deal with problems are better. After all, they are shifts.

The commuting time is fixed, and few companies require customer service personnel to take the phone home.

Short story: My past work experience has taught me the most important thing: you can’t turn off your phone!

In this industry, no matter what your position is, once you turn off your phone and turn it on again, the messages will force the phone to stop.

Due to the particularity of tourism products, many problems need to be solved in time. Once they are not dealt with now, it will be very troublesome in the future.

I tried to be woken up by my mobile phone at 3 o'clock in the morning because the guests could not pick up the room after arriving at the hotel;

I tried to turn off the phone when I was on a business trip. After turning on the phone, the message sounded for 20 minutes, and the information was consumed. I was afraid that I would miss something if I worked for 2 hours;

I tried to have dinner with friends, but the conversation was interrupted by phone calls many times, and the meal was tasteless;

I tried to take annual leave When I go on a trip, I spend more time looking at my phone than at sightseeing spots, as if I’m on a vacation;

During the Spring Festival vacation, I was given clear arrangements by the boss with just one phone call, and there was no overtime pay or compensation. stop.

What is hateful is that for these jobs that come to your doorstep, you cannot reply: I will deal with them after I get to work.

To sum up (only my opinion):

Tourism workers, including hotel services and catering services, all serve people.

But The social status is not high, and it is incomparable to doctors and policemen who are on call 24 hours a day;

Moreover, the sense of accomplishment that can be obtained, in terms of social contribution, etc., is weaker than that of doctors and policemen. Some,

If you want some other sense of accomplishment, you will get better rewards than doctors, policemen, etc.

In fact, everything really depends on what you are pursuing and what you want.

Suffering may not be very painful. Who is not suffering in the world? The key point still depends on the individual.

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This epidemic has severely affected tourism, hotels, catering, aviation and other related industries.

The domestic situation has improved. , but it may take some time to return to before the epidemic.

For companies that make overseas products, the impact is greater, and they are more or less undergoing transformation. It is the so-called survival of the fittest.

At that time, the company I worked for started a half-pay system, and I also asked about the situation of some colleagues.

It was not much better. Some were suspended without pay, and some were only paid basic living expenses. Yes, there are arrears, layoffs, etc.

Different companies have different policies. There are very few people who can stay in the "original status". Anyway, none of the colleagues I know.

None have been fired or asked to quit. Now in the domestic market Now that things are getting better, there is finally some hope. ?

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The epidemic is the biggest crisis I have encountered in my career, and it can turn a company from profit to loss.

It is not only the epidemic that can affect tourism, weather, road conditions, politics and other force majeure factors can also cause crises.

Weather (typhoon, heavy rain, solar eclipse, etc.) will affect flights; road conditions (mudslides, accidents, etc.) will affect itinerary;

Political relations will affect travel safety; policies will affect visas wait. These are things that cannot be controlled and cannot be changed.

In the event of force majeure, the company and its employees can only rely on the company and employees to set emergency measures and countermeasures.

Minimize losses as much as possible while protecting the rights and safety of guests.

As a guest, when encountering these situations, your itinerary and mood will be affected to a greater or lesser extent,

But there is nothing anyone can do... (Sometimes tourism practitioners You also have to deal with complaints from customers, etc.)

A short story: Stories like this are actually very common in travel (except for the epidemic)

Traffic jam on the highway N Hours, from day to night;

Flights are delayed by N hours, from today to tomorrow;

The city is renovating roads and subways, increasing the time spent on the road and shortening the browsing time.

Facing force majeure, the main test is emergency response and soothing abilities.

Thinking of countermeasures and implementing them while soothing the guests' emotions.

In summary (only my opinion):

Every industry will have external influences on the industry, it just depends on what kind of impact it is and how much it is affected.

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This does not mean that people who leave the tourism industry will be stable. There is no pure iron rice bowl in today’s society.

Every industry and every position has its own test. There are endless things to learn in social universities.

No matter what kind of job you want to do in the future, some difficulties and dangers should be encountered early and learned early. Experience and lessons can make people grow quickly.

Don’t think that smooth sailing is a good thing unless you can ensure that you will be safe and sound until retirement.

Words such as being prepared for danger in times of peace, crisis awareness, and survival of the fittest must be in your dictionary.

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Not everyone has this problem, because I have it. Let me talk about it.

In schools, the ratio of men to women in the class is uneven, and campus romances have to be found in other majors;

In companies, the ratio of men to women is also uneven, and office romances are directly affected. Work.

The chance of being single in school is greater than in society. Please hurry up and find a partner in college.

After you come out of society, you will discover the interactions between people. Becoming less and less pure.

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Go to work every day, two o'clock and one line, the circle is as big as you can see it with the naked eye.

If you want to expand the circle, you have to have time and energy; find colleagues , it looks so beautiful that I can’t even imagine it.

(It’s not that there are no people in the same industry who have tied the knot, it’s just that I don’t know how to reconcile it)

A short story: Anyway, my emotional state is not only concerned by my relatives and friends. ,

Even the company leaders are concerned. Whenever a man of suitable age comes to do business, they always ask their family members whether they are married (I am also embarrassed)

Isn’t it because he has been addicted to work and has been single since he joined the company? , as for promoting it like a slow-moving product?

But when you want to change jobs at this age, being unmarried and having no children becomes a big obstacle.

HR also needs to care about your emotional state. This state may even directly affect HR’s treatment of you. Admissions Considerations.

To summarize the above (only my own opinion):

In the past, I also felt that being single was a hindrance to someone, and you should not force yourself before fate arrives.

But reality slapped me in the face again and again. As I grow older, my options gradually decrease.

If you don’t want to be led by reality, you must not only grow older, but also your abilities and knowledge.

Only by becoming stronger in the future can you master The initiative of choice.

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All walks of life look like a besieged city. People inside want to get out, and people outside want to get in.

Some people think that tour guides can see the scenery everywhere, but they don’t know the hardships of leaving early and returning late;

Some people think that the sales commission is very high and the income is considerable, but they don’t know Their salary is a drop in the bucket and they are responsible for the basic salary;

Some people think that administrative work is easy and don’t have to work overtime, but they don’t know how complex relationships they coordinate every day;

Some people think that customer service threshold is low And stable, but they don’t know how much negative energy they absorb every day.

So, don’t look at the goodness of others every day, and pay more attention to discover the small blessings around you,

Because, you are also one of the objects of envy for others.

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Finally... If you really want to work in the tourism industry, please ask yourself the following 3 questions:

1 Why do you want to work in the tourism industry?

2 In which position do you want to develop vertically?

3 Do you already know about employment prospects and golden age? (It’s helpless to mention age, but it’s true)

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The above is purely personal “false talk” and don’t take it too seriously. If the tourism industry was really so bad, there wouldn’t be so many people. Engaged.

What I have said is for reference only. The most important thing for students is to think clearly about what they want and what they want to be.

Knowing what you want is the most important thing to me!