My experiences!. Review on Post University Experience

I had various jobs after graduation ( mostly about hospitality) ; Tour Guide, Reservation, Front Desk, Housekeeping Co-ordinator, Night Audit, translator & interpreter, and Teaching Assistant.

Tour Guide: Unlike most of my friends who has adequate allowances from their parents, I have to work to pay off school bill since I was a senior in the college. As you know, Thailand's major revenue is Tourism. So, being a Tour guide is not something impossible for college student. The main reason I picked this job because I can do it on part-time basis. This job changes a lot of my perception.

Most of the tourists I had to take care are the Middle East people. They're very very generous and not demanding. What they did was just shopping. So, I can help a little bit for their taxes refunds and extra baggages stuffs with no charge at the airport. I am glad that at least my country is very very open, and it seems that Middle East people enjoys a lot after their 1 month fasting.

The bad part of this job is that I had a hard time adjusting myself in the 9 to 5 jobs after the Gulf War happens.

Reservation: After the Gulf war, I had to look for a serios job. I was in the Reservation Dapartment for 2 Airlines for a year. Basicly, it was all about changing reservation, cancellation, miledge adding, calculate the meal to put on the aircraft etc. The best part of this job is to get a cheap airfare. I flew in Malaysia and  Vietnam for less than a 100$ ( It costs me 30$ to go home in Chaing Rai)

At that time, I had to know all airports'code as sometimes, travel agent made a call to ask as they're to lazy to search on their computer. Travel agent frequently sent me a gift, a food when got a seat they had waited for a long time. Actually they don't have to that. It's part of my job to get everybody on the plane.

My Madarin Chinese obviously was getting better at that time as I had to speak Chinese almost all the time. Before I quitted, I almost made a move to Cabin Crew or Sale Department but for some reason I took a risk to attend my MA's class in Chaing Mai

Night Audit: After I relocated to Chaing Mai from Bangkok, I had to re-arrange my schedule, and my studies became my first priority, so the possible job I can work was the Night Audit in the hotel. This job was about closing all the bills at night, running all kind of report.  But O Lord, I looked like Zombie everytimes I got to my class. I quitted after I got a teaching assistant jobs.

Interpretator & Translator:Basicly, I did it on part-time basis but there was one time that I got to work in the mountain for a month with Researchers from Denmark, at that time, they conducted a research on forest fire and did some soil sampling. Sometimes, I did the sub-title for National Geography's documetary.

Teaching Assistant: I had a chance to teach for 3 consecutives semestres for non-English major freshmen for 12 hours per week at Rajabaht Chaing Mai University and Mae Jo University. Rajabhat is a kind of community college and Maejo is somewhat agricultural college. I won't graduate if the University didn't give me a TA job as writing a paper required a lot of time and patience. I believe I could teach for the rest of my life, I feel somehow I learn from students too. Being around young people,  I feel safe. There was also no immediate boss.

Housekeeping:It was a part of training I did when I first arrived in the US. My job was to check the room, and make sure all amenities were there. I cleared the room sometimes, when the immigration came and the real housekeepers were hiding somewhere. From this job, I realize that there was no unskilled labour, but the hardworking of the housekeeper was not recognized as they did work behind the scene. Some young American does the Housekeeping job to pay the school bill too, but most housekeepers where I am working for are Hispanic people. Actually, I agree with some point for some American politician to give them a Guest worker permit because they don't want to be a part of America, they just want to save enough money to live well at home.

Front Desk:It's what I am doing now. There's nothing exciting about this job. Sometimes, I met a lot of lonely guests who have a lot of money but they have no friends, many of them like to chat with front Desk people at night. The important thing I do best is I remember what's the guest preference.

I try to be nice with everybody even though some guy look like a student but they might be very important person someday ( who knows?), I believe this would make them come back!