Careers
Seattle is the fastest-growing city in the United States according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This growth is not only people moving to the region; tourism growth is also occurring at a rapid pace. More than 23 million tourists chose Seattle as their destination last year according to Visit Seattle. From recently building one of the largest cruise terminals in the world to SeaTac Airport undergoing a massive renovation, the tourism infrastructure has experienced enormous growth in a short period of time. The capacity for tourism is in what seems like a constant growth pattern.
This development has led to job growth. The city of Seattle is in desperate need of more passionate individuals to work in the Hospitality and Tourism sector. This means more internships, jobs, and careers at higher wages than ever before.
Hospitality & Tourism Management at Highline College offers eight emphasis areas for you to pursue your personal passions in the Hospitality and Tourism industries; these emphasis areas align with job growth that the Seattle area is experiencing. Each emphasis area has extensive job opportunities in the greater Seattle area and offers more than a job; each emphasis area offers a career.
Hotel & Resort Operations
There are more than 70,000 hotel rooms in the Seattle area according to hotel research firm STR. In fact, there are more than 15,000 hotel rooms in downtown Seattle alone. The Seattle area boasts more than 500 hotels. Every single hotel has dozens or even hundreds of employees. New hotels open nearly every month. This growth means there are many job opportunities!
Cruise Lines
Seven major cruise lines call the Port of Seattle home. Each company, as well as the Port of Seattle, has hundreds of jobs available. Here are the companies that call Seattle home: Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Lines, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Princess Cruises, and Royal Caribbean. Visit the Port of Seattle for more information on building a career in the cruising industry.
Food & Beverage Operations
There are more jobs available in Food & Beverage than any other sector of the hospitality industry. In fact, food industries are the third largest employer in the Seattle area according to the Washington Hospitality Association. Although some Food & Beverage positions pay only $15.24/hr, the average restaurant manager makes $58,000/year in the state of Washington according to CareerBridge. Managers in Seattle make much more than this on average!
Tourism
Visit Seattle, our city’s premiere Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), was recently ranked the number 2 Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) in North America by Successful Meetings, the industry standard-bearer. Seattle Southside, located one block from SeaTac Airport, functions as the voice of our industry for southern Seattle. They offer dozens of internships and full-time employment for individuals passionate about our city, region, and local businesses. Learn more about our area and the jobs you can be suited for in the near future at Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority.
Event Management
There are more than 100,000 Americans employed by the event management industry according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Growth in this sector is approximately 1.5% annually nationwide. This growth is far more pronounced in the Seattle area where annual growth is far higher with annual salaries starting at approximately $48,000 and 25% of employees making more than $72,000 in the Seattle area.
Casino Operations
There are ten major casinos in Seattle. There are dozens more in the state of Washington. Each casino’s operations require hundreds of employees. Learning casino operations will prepare you to manage Muckleshoot Casino’s 3,000+ slot machines, Quil Ceda Creek’s more than $2 million per day pay-outs to customers, the international buffet with more than 500 options at Emerald Queen-Fife, more than 50 different table games at Tulalip Resort & Casino, or even the concert hall at Emerald Queen-Tacoma featuring concerts from many of the world’s most famous artists.
Airlines & Aviation Management
Seattle boasts the ninth-largest airport in the United States. SeaTac Airport serves more than 47 million passengers on 417,000 flights that carry 425,000 metric tons of cargo. This level of service necessitates 20,000 individuals to work for SeaTac Airport and nearly 60,000 individuals are employed indirectly (e.g. flight attendants) at the airport. Furthermore, with nearly 3% annual growth in passengers, SeaTac Airport needs to hire an enormous number of new associates. All of these figures presented by the Port of Seattle mean that there are limitless possibilities for a career in aviation!
Sustainable Ecotourism and Park Operations
The residents of Seattle are proud of their outdoor lifestyle. Accompanying this lifestyle are green spaces such as parks. Within ten minutes of campus are two state parks (Saltwater, Dash Point) and within a few hours of Seattle are three of the USA’s fifty-eight national parks (Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades). Each location, as well as many other green spaces such as ski mountains, need employees. These career-oriented individuals must have a passion for the outdoors, a conservation mindset, and an ability to teach others about their natural surroundings.