Little did I know back in 1979 when I took a bartending course that I would have the opportunity to travel , make a great income , have flexibility to do the things I wanted while working , and meet great people along the way. The top ten reasons I am still waiting on tables and loving it are the following.

Due to the increasing labour shortage there is a growing demand for leaders in the hospitality industry as never before so when you become proficient in what you do the opportunity to make your mark is easier and the rewards greater.

Why is it that some people are getting ahead and living the life of their dreams while others languish behind riddled with stress and debt?

The most important thing a person can do is to do what comes naturally. This way work never can be tiring or stressful. Goals are easy to achieve. Frustration never really occurs and you look forward to the challenges involved with a positive attitude.

When I mention that I worked on a cruise ship people usually reply with a desire to do the same one day. Knowing full well that when people say that they really are just entertaining their wish to live an adventurous life with no idea of what is in store for them.

Having worked up to 5 years on two different kind of cruise ships , one of being an enormous size carrying 2500 passengers and the other being a smaller luxury ship with a capacity of 114 passengers , my recommendation is to go for the smaller ships.

The days when someone used to view a waiter or bartender as someone who is uneducated or just passing through till something better takes place are long gone.In today's fast paced world the Hospitality industry is flourishing providing a good income and opportunity for those who seek flexibility in both their work environment and how they want to live.

It's becoming increasingly clear to me as the years pass by that I actually know more than I did let's say twenty or thirty years ago. Now most of you may be saying right now , yes you should know more than you did twenty or thirty years ago and I would agree with you 100%. But how many of us when we say that about ourselves actually believe it.

I came to this realization when I started teaching Bartending at a local college that I actually know more than most in my chosen field.

Every Food and Beverage waiter relies on what a customer tips , not on their hourly wage, in order to make a decent living. So with the consumer's eroding disposable income and more restaurants to choose from in history , it is imperative the waiter provides great service to get that person to leave a good tip. A waiter always has to be thinking ahead, highly organized, and able to prioritize quickly on the fly if they are to succeed.

As people scuttle their plans to travel far this summer due to the high cost of transportation whether it be by car , train , or plane , these same people will spend their savings on other things close to home. They will not necessarily bank the savings but spend it on local attractions , backyard barbeques and their local eateries. I have never heard of a vacationer who did not want to spend money.

If you are an aspiring student in Food and Beverage Management and between 18 and 30 years of age there is a great opportunity for you to work in Switzerland without having to spend thousands of dollars to go to school there.

I am writing this from a Canadian perspective but I am sure the same can be said for other countries as well. The way I did it was quite simple and very cost effective and the training I received was phenomenal.

To be an effective Dining Room Manager there are certain attributes you should have to run an efficient food and beverage operation each meal service. There are a lot of managers out there who are great at doing the paperwork as in making the schedules and calculating the food cost but if they do not know how to lead and build a team in the Dining Room they will soon find themselves unemployed very quickly.

Many people who are above ground , breathing , and walk with their eyes open probably have dreamt of being a business owner where you can control your working hours and earn a great income without having a boss down your throat.

How it begins is people visualize the end result without realizing the toil one has to go through in order to get there.