Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Stepping Stones to the Future

Hello there again! I've had a busy four months of college and finally a bit of downtime during this holiday season. First off, I would like to wish everyone a happy and warm holiday seasons, hope everyone is able to spend it with the ones they love, family, and friends.

I finally feel like I'm starting to get my life together professionally. I finally feel like I have a vision and goal that I am working towards now and what I want to accomplish in the next few years.

The first step: Get a job in a reputable, well-recognized organization.

I have started working at Porter Airlines in November working part-time as I finish off my college diploma at George Brown College. Believe it or not, but Porter Airlines' brand recognition is one of the highest in the airline/aviation industry known for their service, speed, and convenience; ultimately redefining the flying experience for passengers. The company is great through and through, and also can't forget about the perks and benefits as well.


The second step: Get an externship/internship that inspires my passion for tourism.

As part of my program at George Brown College, the fourth and final semester of the diploma program includes a 7 week, minimum 24 hour per week externship/internship we need to complete and to gain valuable industry experience. I first had my hopes set on getting one at a tourism board, specifically Tourism Toronto, but they did not reply back at all. I was disappointed, but continued applying various tourism companies from travel agencies, travel managing consultants, tour operators, and hotels.

I was so lucky to have found an once unknown company to me, Ensemble Travel Group. After meeting with a couple of companies and comparing to my experience meeting with Ensemble, I was so flattered and welcomed immediately. That first meeting left a lasting impression with me, it got my creative juices flowing, excitement building with the various challenging projects and tasks I would be undertaking during my time with the company.

I will be able to learn about the tourism industry on multiple levels. First by touring a couple of travel agencies (their clients/customers) in the city of Toronto, to learn how they operate on a daily basis. Then work with the director of marketing and magazine editor at Ensemble to create new marketing plans and initiatives to drive their magazine efficiency and maybe even publish my own article! Lastly, after meeting with them for lunch, another fascinating and intriguing project would be to create marketing plans that target tourism boards, YES, tourism boards for countries around the world and create networks with them in encouraging them to use Ensemble Travel Groups products and services for them.


The third step: Harness my education, experience and skills to create a business idea to upstart my entrepreneurship aspirations.

I have something in mind already, as it does relate to my experiences in traveling abroad, but I don't have the necessary skills in programming, web development, etc., to make this happen right now. But I do wish to be able to find other people with related skills in creating a new travel experience for ordinary people like you and me. But in the meantime, I'm going to have to keep this a little secret for the rest of you.