Recently, there was a wind of change in my professional life which has prompted me to alter my future goals. My first notion was to take this as an opportunity to get into the travel industry. I had three interviews (so far), and they were shocking. Today, I would like to share my thoughts in travel with you in a different way.
According to recent survey, the travel and tourism industry in the United States generated nearly $1.4 trillion to the country's economy with one out of every 18 Americans work, either directly or indirectly in the industry. In my opinion, the industry plays a major role in the growth of any country in the world today.
My first encounter was with a brick and mortar travel agency expanding its online presence for the future Chinese market.
Situated at Lexington Avenue, a prime real estate location in Manhattan, it occupies almost the entire floor in the building. It has a huge reception, although it feels kind of unwelcome. As I walked to the room for my interview, I passed through a huge area filled with tiny cubicles with heads of people looking at their screens. Empty chairs and empty tables which made me wondered if the company is expanding or shrinking. Plain walls with bland colors throughout gave me the impression that the motto of the work place is probably "me-myself-and-computer" kind of situation.
I had a brief interview with the person who heads the travel agency. "We are expanding to the Chinese market very soon. The system is very easy to learn, and you can probably learn that in a day" she said. I had looked into the website the day before; the company targets mainly to Europe and the US, and to say the very least the intention to focus to China is too little too late.
Next, I went to a job interview with a catering company for the airlines. It is an international company, with hotels, restaurants in Europe and US. The company sounds really good, and I thought perhaps there is a chance for a new person to grow professionally. But the interviewer said," You are paid $10 an hour, and after probation you get $10.50, and it can go up to $11 max. If you want to get more, probably it will be the supervisor position but it will take years."
In the right frame of mind, why would anyone wait for a few years for a promotion and a pay raise. This is New York, and this is 2013, and big company like this still pays $10 an hour? The title of the position is food checker; meaning the person in charge has to be detail-oriented and alert on food handling before the trays go out to the plane. It is pretty obvious the account is worth millions of dollars. And yet, chump change is pass on to its employees.
JFK International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. I applied for a position as a customer service agent at the airport. Customer service agents are the ones you'll encounter either in departure hall or arrival hall directing you to the right counter, or floor or any other questions you may have. In my opinion, these agents play an integral part of the security system at the airport. Sadly, the company does not see it that way. Person who interviewed me asked if I'm capable to perform the tasks required, and I responded "Yes". I might have sounded too eager for the job. After the interview, it seemed the criteria is to hire someone with an IQ of 80 and below cause the main job is to stand in one place for 4 to 5 hours. The pay is $9 an hour. Again, I like to stress that contract being awarded to the company at the airport is worth millions. So the next time you see the customer service agents at the airport, stop and give them a hug. I think these agents deserve more.
These are some of the experiences I had the last couple of months. Countries from around the world depend on tourism to boost their economies. It is just so unfortunate that the people who actually contributed so much to the industry are being rewarded nothing more than just a pat in the back. Common guys, it is time to boost their wages!
