Shawn Williams

Professor Jason W. Ellis

English 1101

11 May 2015

1. Vision

My name is Shawn Williams, I am outgoing and very ambitious. I am a student at New York City College of Technology,who is pursuing a Bachelors in Hospitality Management. My career is in Hospitality Management. In this essay I will prove why Hospitality Management is the best major for me, because once I attain my degree, I want to open up my own restaurant. I have a lot of experience in the cooking field. I feel I have a niche for what people like to eat. What I need now is the knowledge on how to manage and maintain a successful restaurant,knowing how to pick a strategic location and making a great menu. I hope to learn all of this in Hospitality Management.

Some of the things that New York City College of Technology Catalog said I will learn if I apply myself in these courses is, “the principles of cost control,menu and recipe structure,plating techniques,and flavor profiles.(New York City College Of Technology College Catalog pg.171) I will also learn current and future direction of restaurant management, operations,marketing and personal management as they affect community, and marketplace trends. In addition I will,understand the role of menu planning and design in historic and contemporary terms, explore pricing strategies,design elements,seasonal and theme-based fare,kitchen expertise,market segmentation and customer perceptions.(New York City College Of Technology College Catalog pg.173) Many Alumni have become accomplished as executives chefs,directors of housekeeping,human resources directors,food and beverage directors,restaurant owners,district food service managers, directors of marketing and general managers”. Within my Major I like the fact that I have a lot of different job options. (New York City College Of Technology College Catalog pg.174)

Working in the cooking field was the only real job I ever held in my life. Sometimes I wonder am I jumping the gun too fast because I really have not experienced anything else. I am currently working as a office assistant. I like the work, it is easy and fun, and I enjoy being around people. But I do not see where there is a opportunity for me to advance quickly to becoming the head of an office, like it would be for me to work a year or two as an food service manager,and then venture out on my own to own my own restaurant. I feel I have an better chance to succeed in the cooking field. I have responsibilities and I am not as young as I used to be,so I have to choose quickly and wisely.

My dream is to own my own restaurant. But I know I will need experience on how to run a restaurant before I can make that dream come true. I may need to work as a food service manager before I can own my own restaurant. So I inquired about the pay and job availability. Becoming a Food Service Manager will give me the experience I need to run and operate a successful restaurant. According to The Occupational Outlook handbook in 2012 the median pay for a food service manager was forty-seven thousand nine hundred and sixty dollars per year and twenty-three dollars and six cents per hour. Also, there will be an two percent increase in the job field of food service managing.(Occupational Outlook Handbook,2014-15)

2. Action

I work in the office of my major and the Chairperson is very inspiring. We talk all the time and she shows so much interest in my schooling. I get to meet all the Professors outside of the classroom. I do not try to manipulate or take advantage of working in the office. Many Alumni come back with such great success stories. I am almost blown away with excitement and anticipation. I interviewed one of my future Professors in my major. His name is Professor Robert Walljasper,I asked him ‘does it feel like you have achieved the level of success you planned on achieving when you first started your career?’ His reply was “I feel like I have achieved that level many times,but once I am there,there is always something else for me to accomplish.”( Walljasper Robert. Personal Interview. 14 April 2015.) When I heard that I was truly inspired, because I could see the glimmer in his eyes of satisfaction,perseverance and happiness. I knew he was happy because he is doing something he loves everyday. And the satisfaction came from all the accomplishments along with the perseverance of no matter how hard the next goal may be he will succeed.

One of the things that motivates me to be a part of and take Hospitality Management as my major is that I want to make a comfortable amount of money and live nice. I watch a lot of cooking shows and I feel like I have the charisma,looks,but not the skills yet to be very successful in my career. I want to be able to drive any car I want. I want a big house. I want to leave wealth and a legacy for my children. I know with the marketing ideas I have,I can go very far. All I will say is that it is something that is not offered to a large group of people in the cooking field.

3. Execute

Work is not work if you enjoy doing it. That is my other reason for choosing Hospitality Management. I have worked in a couple of kitchens and I really enjoyed bringing happiness to people through food. I love the interaction. I am naturally a people’s person. I like to see people smile and be happy. The feeling of working in a restaurant and having a lot of customers waiting to eat the food I cooked is indescribable. One of the Professors in Hospitality Management is William Moore. I asked him “what does it take to succeed in this industry?” He said “Passion,it takes a lot of passion,because it is a tough field,but if you have passion for what you do you can succeed.” (Moore William. Personal Interview. 16 April 2015.) I think it takes passion and commitment to succeed in any field,but hearing it come from him was truly encouraging and very informative.

To be able to make someone happy just from giving them something to eat or providing a certain kind of food that they cannot get anywhere else,truly makes me happy. I have experienced that feeling myself,of not being able to find a certain type of food, but once I have,I felt gratitude and tremendous joy to that establishment. And when the food is good and the service is nice and friendly,they have my stomach and loyalty. My restaurant will be the place to eat of who’s who. But once every six months I will turn it into a soup kitchen to feed the homeless. And yes, they will eat the good food. I want the kind of establishment where, when you enter you feel like you are at home. That is what I want from people that will visit my restaurant.

If you are interested in Hospitality Management as your major, you should have both of these things and a lot of them,and they are passion and determination. You will need these two things to accomplish your goals and be successful. I am learning this valuable lesson everyday,from studying to getting up early so I can get to class on time. A quote ‘Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” 
― Theodore Roosevelt Nothing that is great will come easy.

Works Cited

New York College Of Technology. Hospitality Management Bachelor Degree. College Catalog Spring. 2015-2016 pg 171,173,174 Web 20 April 2015

United States. Bureau Of Labor. Food Service Managers. U.S. Department Of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook. 2014-2015. Web 15 April 2015

Walljasper Robert. Personal Interview. 14 April 2015.

Moore William. Personal Interview. 16 April 2015.