Choosing HM as a career of exploration

Jenny Kashuila

The present scenario of getting a job which would provide basic amenities for one self has become a big nightmare for all us in our society. And too often we are left with big confusion and with too many options about choosing our profession after higher secondary and we tend to end up pursuing regular bachelor degrees mostly from humanities background.
But why do we study? Why do we spend money so much on education? 
Most of us will say ‘in order to get a job’, to get a job means to earn a living right! In northeast alone we can see there are lots of highly educated unemployed youths hunting and waiting for white-collar government jobs. Instead of that why don’t we try something different like pursuing a professional degree may be a bachelor degree in fine arts, carpentry, photography, shoe making, floriculture, fashion designing, architecture, journalism, hotel management etc which can enhance our skills. As a matter of fact the reasons being highly educated without getting jobs are mainly due to lack of skills and motivation.  Everyone is blessed with different talents but it all matters on how we utilized our talents in a proper way.

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Choosing hotel management as a career could be one of the most exciting professions and a career of exploration as in the sense, hotel management graduates are able to travel around the world and see different places while working at a very young age of just 20 or 21 years. HM being a career oriented subject has a vast scope which gives wings to people to dream and explore. In fact, with the change of time, the tourism industry in India has encouraged the growth of hotel industry as well. And this dynamic industry is growing by leaps and bounds and thus increasing the demand for well trained candidates. 
Moreover the advantages of having a degree in HM is that one can go further studies like MBA/MA/M.Sc. in hotel management or travel and tourism and can even appear any other competitive examinations. 
Another lucrative feature about this profession is that, with the rapid emergence of hotel chains around the world, candidates from north-eastern state are highly favourable from within the country and abroad as the people are more hospitable, hard working and because of the distinct unique features.
To those who wishes to be become an airhostess an interesting fact about HM is that most airlines preferred flight steward and flight attendant from HM background.  Again I would say pursuing one year diploma or six months courses from airhostess training institute is not encouraging. I happen to meet many students from this kind of institutes who wasn’t got placement in airlines. The promise of providing 100% job placement in airlines made during the time of admission was nothing but an empty vessel which gives heartbreak to the aspirant. The overwhelming sadness about these training institutes is that they produce a large number of aspirants every year where most of them are working in other sector. You can become an airhostess with or without taking any training from airhostess training or any other institutes. The information about the cabin crew recruitments are always updated in the newspapers or in the airlines website. The basic requirements for airlines is that one need to have an outgoing pleasing personality, clear skin and good communication skills with a minimum qualification of higher secondary. 
Anyhow if you love meeting different people, travelling, cooking and foodies and have a pleasing personality and good communication skills, then in our very own state, there is hotel management course offered by the Global Open University, Nagaland, Dimapur. 
This ‘small yet big enough to provide the wings to explore’, is the department of Hotel Management, Dimapur under the umbrella of the Global Open University, Nagaland. The department was started in 2008 with the main objective to give career oriented course which would provide employment opportunities to the youths. As of now it is the only institute in Nagaland which is providing three years full-fledged courses in hotel management. Far away from the busy hustle and bustle lifestyle of the cities, the environment at the campus is totally different as it is so quiet and calm which is perfect for learning. Apart from that, the department has a well furnished visual aids classroom, practical kitchen and restaurant, mock guest room, computer lab with Wi-Fi connection and a well equipped library to further enable the students to enhance their creativity. 
One will feel like home here. The teaching fraternity and staff are friendly and have good industry experience from India and abroad. Besides the regular subjects, the student also gets to learn foreign language like German, Chinese, French and Korean, event management, retail management and so on. As part of the learning experiences the department provides personality development classes, industrial exposure training and educational exposure tour to metro cities.
In terms of job placement 100% placement are being provided to all the students in reputed organization in India as well as abroad. 
Most of the alumni of HM department are spread all over the world in reputed firms like Taj Hotel Mumbai, Fortes Hospital New Delhi, Hyatt Chennai, Oberoi Grand Kolkata, JW Marriot Marquis Dubai,  Cruise Liners, Four Seasons USA and many more.

Here’s a few glimpse about the institute and work experience shared by the some passed out students. 
Loshi Nyanthang Rengma (1st batch) (JW Marriott Marquis, Dubai).
How do you feel about being a HMian? 
The course was good and very interesting. I have no idea about hotels and how it operates however it turns out to be very interesting.
The three years course with many theory and practical classes were very fruitful in fact. The facilities and the infrastructure which were necessary for the course were provided and I’m so fortunate to received free sponsorship from the Government. 
Since it was new to everyone as we were the first batch in Nagaland, we enjoyed a lot. We have learned many things not only from the books but from the faculty members who supported us throughout our training.

Kindly share your work experience as an hotelier. 
It’s been quite some years now that I’m working with hotel industry. It is one of the best experiences so far. I have also worked with corporate office for almost two years. You will get to meet different types of people from diverse culture which is so exciting. It is truly exciting working with service industry and I am enjoying it.
Do you have anything to tell to the aspirants’ out there who want to study HM?
Yes I encouraged many of my friends to take this course as it is one of the best platforms to meet people from across the globe.  Once you have the experience, you can work with any hospitality industry anywhere for instance say work for five years in US, then three years in Dubai or ten years in Cruise line etc. The package and increment keeps on changing according to our work experience. 

Imomeren (2nd batch) (Four Seasons, St Louis, Missouri, USA)
With the dedicated faculty from all areas of the industry, it was a great jump-start for my career into the world of hospitality. Technical skills, confidence are just a few encouraging and countless things I have gained and to know that my future’s foundations started here is a gift that I will be thankful forever.
I have been working in this industry for the last past four years in the bakery and confectionary kitchen. However to be honest everyday was not a sunny day. But I have learned and grown both professionally and personally. It’s a very challenging job which requires you to be strong mentally and physically. But it’s all worth the efforts if you love your job and for me my passion and love for food keeps me motivated and I’m happy where I’m today. 
The courses are up to the top notch in the industry, inspite of the several subjects that wears us down sometimes but it equip one with confidence to face the highly competitive hospitality industry. Yes, definitely there are lots of scopes for sincere dedicated and determined individuals who are willing to standout and make a niche for themselves. 

Loni Khing (3rd batch) (Pastry Kitchen Associate, Planet Hollywood Beach Resort Goa)
It was wonderful! And when now I look back of the days in college, I feel how lucky I am to be a part of hotel management Dimapur family. I feel the course gives me the assurances that I’m not going to be unemployed. 
Yes! Definitely without any second thought because the course offers many career choices. I have been working for two years and my experience all this years have been really good and interesting, it has taught me to be smarter at work.