Timeless advice for a career in water parks (and other hospitality fields)

Who here went to university and got a degree in theme or water park management?

I bet not many of you. This article is a How-To article for you, 20-somethings who also might not be studying for a theme park degree, or have a (un)finished degree in a completely unrelated field and somehow have found yourself in a water park. How to set yourself up for success in water parks and some secrets they won't tell you in school or university.

The importance of education:

1. Consistent learning and improvement through formal education, training, coaching or courses is vital.

Although different regions in the world view the usefulness of education slightly different, most GM's I've met placed a huge importance on education. Whether it was formal education and getting a degree in a relevant field like Hospitality Management, or slightly broader in marketing, or accounting, formal education will often help getting you through the first barrier of the hiring process. Most companies have a minimum level of education and candidates who don't meet those minimum standards often find it difficult to get in at all. On average 118 people apply for any given job, and around 20 percent get an interview. The higher one's degree, the lower one's chance to be unemployed statistically. With an average unemployment in 2015 for a masters and bachelor respectively of 2.4% and 2.8%, a high school diploma or less has those chances at 5.4% and 8.0%. (Source: https://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm)

Formal education is a great start, but as millennials know (the name for young people who are now roughly between 20 and 30 years old), a degree doesn't guarantee you any job nowadays. I've met very few successful General Managers who studied hospitality Management and went straight to their current position. Most GM's and water park managers have great inspiring stories about how they started cleaning toilets as a summer job and slowly but surely moved up through the ranks until they've found themselves at the position they are in now.

Whether or not you decide to start your career with formal education or to start "from the bottom and work your way up", moving to another company or the higher management positions get's harder each step without a bachelor degree. So you will need to show consistent improvement and development to prove your relevance in a changing and ever more competitive industry. Attending seminars, doing courses, coaching, or workshops are great ways to showcase your skills and educate yourself.

Your connection with people:

2. Invest in your connection with people around you for long term success and friendship

Our entire industry is based on connections with people. Theodore Roosevelt said it very well; "Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care". I've never seen a guest comment "Your staff was horrible, but I'll come back next year because I like your slides".

If we don't create great personal connections with both our guests and our colleagues you will not get far in the industry. More and more people realize the importance of their network in their development. Knowing the right people who can volunteer you name for a new project, or mention your name as a rising star can make a big difference. The water park industry is very small and most of us know each other from name or as good friend for many years. Creating a honest and authentic connection should be a key part on your path to success. Finding out how you can add value to someone else's life, will almost always repay itself, if your genuinely care for and help others. It might not give you an instant promotion, but being a knowledgeable (see rule 1.) and genuine person who is always willing to help others, will put you in a great position for any future opportunity. Additionally it will bring you into the "water park family", a group of dedicated professionals who share the same values and are role models for the industry.

Work smarter (and harder):

3. Put yourself in your boss' shoes to find out what he needs and exceed his expectations.

I wish this paragraph could be called; "Work Smarter, not harder". Unfortunately, I've not met many successful water park managers or GM's who got where they are now by taking the easy way out and simply got lucky. The most important thing is to understand what to work hard on. If you work extremely hard on every single project or task you will be burned out by the time you are 30. Find what is important to your boss, and other relevant people (stakeholders), and focus on providing what they need. Put yourself in their shoes. If you have to give a report to the commercial director and the operations director, you might be able to use parts of the same report, but you can give a global overview to the commercial director, and go into details concerning operations for your own director. To find out what they need and want, you have to understand their job and create a connection with them. Some General Managers like a in-depth report where they can see all the information and can find what they need on their own. Others want a one page summary with simple graphs. When you can provide what they need, sometimes without asking, they will see you as a competent and skilled employee. Don't go to your GM with problems. Go with challenges and possible solutions that only needs his/her approval or confirmation. Your GM will appreciate someone who doesn't bring them problems, but solutions instead.

Build a relevant network:

4. Invest in your connection with people around you for long term success and friendship

After years of networking back in my home country; The Netherlands, I've found that my network was almost worthless to get a theme park job outside of Europe. It taught me that it's often better to have a broad network, with a generic focus (like hospitality) and to pick of few highly regarded specialists. The better you get in this, the more you go deeper into a industry, you will find that the industry is really small, and that you often meet the same people at trade shows, seminars, etc. It's not just enough to connect with people, you have to keep the relationship warm. Congratulate people with promotions, company achievements, or other news. Whether you go to seminars, use social media or find a industry colleague in a bar, there are many ways to build a network, and that network will be one of your strongest assets when you want to move up or on in your career.

Be ready:

Conclusion.

You will get promoted when you; Have the right minimum job requirements (like education), and/or skills, especially if you exceed your managers expectation consistently. If you have those requirements and skills down, you have to make sure that you have a network of connections who like you enough, know your skills and are able to recommend you for your next promotion or job. Good luck!