A Reflective Report
Introduction
Every man has a dream uniquely configured for him. Such dream is particularly designed specially for him based on the purpose by which he was probably created. Hence, the fate and destiny of man would somehow depend on the importance of such dream to him and the degree by which he can live that dream towards reality.
Who was it who said that the difference between reality and a dream is a date from which to start the countdown to reality? When I was a child, I started to dream. But my dream remained a target which never took off because I did not have a date to start and end my reckoning with. This is the time that I learned to put dates in my targets.
On to college with the dream
The first step to that dream took me to college and there the discernment of my personal aims, objectives and expectations of everything took a turn for the launching of that dream. I had simple things in my dream: change for the better. As a child, dreams remain as dreams because of the absence of a timetable for accomplishment. As soon as college became imminent, the aim to finish schooling was becoming firmer and more concrete. This only meant that the drive to enter and finish college were being triggered somewhat because my targets are becoming clearer and clearer.
Before college, my dreams were simple: just to finish college. But as that dream of college education became clearer in terms of the specific discipline of becoming an hotel management expert, not only was the future seemed to have become clearer to me but the means of achieving that dream similarly became more precise, direct and time-bound. I started to see myself driving my career vehicle in the dark but with headlights blazing allowing me to see beyond the winding road ahead of me with my role specifically defined. This positive attitude enables me to the extent of understanding the need to pursue the hotel course much better than the rest. Hence, my continuing education in the IMI Switzerland is a testimonial of that drive to excel in the profession.
At the outset, there were apprehensions and uncertain variables that sent quivers down my spine: the hotel career is a five-star profession with a strict demand for the total personality endowed with superb communication and interpersonal skills. And I hardly possess those traits. Besides, the hotel management industry sector is a career for sophisticated people and I never had any sophistication or not so much finesse in my system. I was brought up in a middle class family and none of us ever stayed beyond our modest home, let alone travelled extensively beyond the confines of the state/country where we spent most of the years of our lives. I had humble training in several related establishments in Korea and Canada. But the lingering question posed on me: the hotel career is my interest and curiosity; I take special liking for food, travel, meeting people from all over and admiring myself garbed in suit enjoying the perks of being a tourism advocate. Hence, the lingering question is: shall I remain a dreamer or shall I start the journey to reality to achieve that dream? .
At this point, every perceived weakness became a target of resolution. To improve my communication skills, I started to project myself talking like those admirable television personalities. I developed my interests in geography and simulated travels to every interesting place on earth. I started to become keen on overcoming my inherent timidity in public. I learned to appreciate the finer things in life and why people aimed for these. Requesting my teachers to explain how their subjects relate to my career was a pleasant initiative I will not forget. Here, I suddenly knew what I wanted in life and how enriching can life be in course gradually becoming congruent with one’s philosophy. Each day in school became an awaited time and each activity in the course a step in the right direction. I had constraints in gaining initial skills, but students like me need to start from scratch.
Limitations and constraints & consolidation strategy
Going through the academics and the curricular activities in school reinforced my need to recognize my limitations in many areas. When I needed a tutor for my second and third languages, I ran short of budget and needed to save on other things to get me through. I had to program my time to attend skills training and classroom instruction without missing a beat. My parents and benefactors have started to complain about the series of expensive workshops and internships I had to undergo to keep my momentum. Books were expensive and I need to have a copy to catch up. Often I had to seek permission to secure photocopy of important chapters in the books.
Money was simply the single most potent limitation considering the expenses of every activity we needed to undergo for the skills series. Here, I needed to cut down on my own personal expenses to give way to priorities. Time was a scarce resource, thus I had to manage it and make sure that I allotted time to every relevant activity. The challenge to become flexible interesting as I had to deal with different people every time and I started to appreciate the uniqueness of every person I meet. My liking for people has become an interesting aspect of my personality. Even my humble beginnings as a students as well as restaurant and hotel trainee for a couple of training years.
Even the simple task of preparing my own resume and credentials have become a daunting tasks which I mastered in due time. Preparing for interviews and testing have all become routine tasks after undergoing several similar internships for on-the-job training. And yes, even my health became a challenge several times when I had to confront the pressure of it all. Only my intense dedication and commitment to my course have become my foremost motivation to move on despite the risks and seeing some of my colleagues giving up on the course for various reasons.
I started to maintain a diary with all the necessary and unnecessary entries I needed to remember. My room slowly became a mess due to a large number of school materials I needed to complete. Despite all these limitations and constraints, the journey to the specialization has become an adventure worth enjoying.
Developing and monitoring skills.
I like especially the food and beverage area. The exquisite approaches I learned from my mentors are indeed among the prized learning module we have started. In addition, the IT component was sustained as it represented another employable skill. Here, aside from the growing exposure to the communications processes, my aim is to like people and articulating that appreciation in terms of interest in working harmoniously with the faculty and my fellow students.
The tasks and the exercises prepared and conducted by the instructors were considered relevant and reassuring. The food fair, the travel and tours Olympics, the event management heroes and heroines, the fast food exposures, the overseas practicum – all of these were splendid experiences and meaningful activities.
A Professional development plan
We have appreciated every single basic skill learned in and out of the classroom. However, there is a need to formalize a personal development plan to serve as template and guide in maximizing the learning opportunities available in and out of the classroom. At this point, no skills are adequate enough to merit a feeling of competence and confidence in the tasks needed for the hospitality industry. Continuous learning in every aspect of knowledge and skills are extremely necessary to remain competitive in the market. Our exposure need to remain at the highest level considering the biggest potential for overseas placements in developing areas of the world. Singapore and Macau are bright prospects for entrepreneurs coming Las Vegas. The United Arab Emirates is a rich market for employment potentials.
Hence, the languages requirements have to be regularly enhanced. French and Spanish have to be added to my like of language skills. This is critical in developing some form of relationship management in the pursuit of marketing strategies. (Hill, 2008)
On the hand, the cultural aspect of training has been found to be critical to the diverse character of the workplace and the market. The German, Arab, the Korean and the Chinese market have been found to be a self-contained market from where prospects can be identified. They have become the most promising tourist sector today. Indeed, the cultural component allows us to equalize and adjust to the needs and wants of the market, making us more flexible and adaptable anywhere. Training and workshops along this line are helping us synthesize the skills and abilities to better respond to the needs of the times.
Hence, the college has embarked on generating revenues to meet the needs of practicum students. Our skills in event management became handy in acquiring contracts for important events such as weddings, exhibits, trade fairs, conventions, sports events, concerts and even family or clan reunions. The extent and prospects are bright and practically limitless.
Hence, another potential area of enhancements is the additional language requirements which are needed as new markets are identified for deployment. Globalization has indeed brought a lot of opportunities to the students of the industry.
To enhance the professional outlook of the profession, adherence to the highest standards of ethics and good governance practices are necessary to showcase an industry that is basically people –oriented. Workshops in this regard as well as extensive internship programs are aimed to be undertaken.
Definitely, the benefits that this professional development plan will provide will initially enhance the individual skills that we, students are in dire need. Ultimately this will redound to the benefit of the industry as more and more workers in the tourism sector are able to dominate the professional sector in terms of enhancements and life-long learning components.
The trainings, workshops and the overall professional development plan designed is expected to be completed on a cycle and stage basis considering the varying lengths of time needed to accomplish each. However, the synergy of the sequence and levels of these development training are expected to raise the standards of classroom instruction, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities needed to make us, the next batch of graduates more employable and competitive in the industry as well as the economy in general.
On the other hand, reinforcements have to be made along the other business core subjects to accompany training in the majors. Here, an excellent understanding of the relationships of the core subjects as it relates into the policy formulations of major hotels and the mechanism used to sustain and adopt operating efficiency and effectiveness.
Attitude building is similarly a strong subject support to the enhancement of the professional development plan being prepared. Skills are necessary. This attitude building programs are among those to be given priority during the coming school year and throughout the curriculum to reinforce the ethics (Jaksa & Pritchard, 1994, p. 159) and good governance (Sharma, 2004) standards as well as the corporate social responsibility aspect of the student. As a modest student desirous of learning, I have come to love giving people services that border on social concerns along volunteerism specifically the Red Cross. Positive attitude strengthens all other efforts to excel in the hotel industry.
Conclusion
As one of those aiming to become an hotel professional, the need for me to undergo various trainings and workshops as well as internships in practically all types hotel of operations is becoming the emerging competitive edge in the hotel practitioners sector. In addition, the industry is known to be an expanding one with no known end giving hope and prospects to the students of the hotel course as well the related programs equally benefitting the rise of the tourism industry around the world.(Shaw, 2003, pp. 86-87)
Thus, this reflective report manifests and articulates the need to adopt personal as well as professional measures to sustain a profession and an industry which is benefitting almost every sector in the economy. Becoming efficient and effective in the hotel sector assumes that students have been thoroughly motivated to bring themselves into the core of the course to be able to appreciate the process as well as the ultimate objective of becoming an hotel professional. Sustaining the thrust of enhancing the profession with the needed technology and assistance from the private and public sectors, the industry will continue to enjoy a stable as well as a strongly motivated workforce in the long run.
Reflecting back into this report, it has become an inspiring and exhilarating experience to be in the hotel course. Nothing is more important than leading a virtuous life with the career you like most (Houck, 1992, p. 9) With all the academic support I had been getting from both my teachers, the parents and to our classmates, I think the prospects of the course and the industry where graduates will be deployed as well as my dream of achieving headship in a fine hotel will be there for a long, long time. It is my hope to achieve this dream in no time at all.
Reference list
Hill, C. 2008 International business. Competing in the global marketplace. 7th Edition, New York. McGraw-Hill Education (Asia), pp. 615-616.
William, O. & Houck, J. ed. 1992. A Virtuous life in business. Stories of courage and Integrity in the Corporate World? Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Inc., p. 91.
Jaksa, J. & Pritchard, M. 1994. Communication ethics: Method of Analysis. Belmont, CA. Wadsworth Publishing Company, Western Michigan University. p. 159.
Sharma, R., 2004. Changing notions of accountability. A good governance perspective. Quezon City, Ph. Asian Review of Public Administration, vol. xvi, Number 1Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration. P. 100
Shaw, J. C. 2003. Corporate Governance and Risk: A systems approach. New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons. Pp. 86-87.
