Nishita is a graduate from the University of Limerick who is currently working in the hotel industry. We chatted with her to find out about her job, whilst reminiscing about life as a UL student. She also has some great advice for networking in the real world.

By Lauren Valentine

Fact File:

Name: Nishita

From: East Delhi, India

Alumni of: University of Limerick

Studied: Master’s in International Tourism

Currently: Working on the front-desk of Flannery’s hotel in Galway

Fun fact: Nishita is still involved in online gaming competitions with her former flatmates who are now spread all over the world!

Advice to prospective students: Just relax. There’s so much going on when you arrive at university: you’ll join 10,000 clubs, then you’ll have assignments building
up. It helps to ground yourself by just chatting with your flatmates. Joke around, eat food together, watch some TV! Even do your assignments together and then there’s always somebody to keep you sane.

From BA, to MA, to Employment – and Beyond!

Can you tell me about your education journey?

I studied BA Hotel Management in my home city. This helped me with my MA because when I arrived I was one of just a few people who had a degree in hospitality. I already knew the basics in terms of the more technical scenarios.

Has this degree helped you in your current job?

Definitely! I work at the front desk of Flannery’s hotel, a family-run hotel in Galway. I enjoy being in the front office because it gives me a chance to talk to people. My dad visited over Christmas and stayed in the hotel. He even became friends with the manager, who now wants to visit New Dehli!

Where do you see your career progressing in the future?  

My dream job would be in risk analysis for tourism, from a district, then national, then global scale. I wrote my dissertation on this, which was geared towards terrorism. Risk analysis has recently gained a whole new importance with the current pandemic. You can take the same material and apply it: instead of reacting to problems, we should be preparing for them. That way, the tourism industry wouldn’t have to suffer so much.

Life as an International Student

Why did you choose to move abroad to study?

I felt that I needed to get a more global perspective for my studies: it doesn’t make sense to study tourism in one place! Both of my parents studied hotel management too and I wanted to broaden my horizons of the industry.

Let’s rewind. Can you describe the moment you stepped off the plane?

It was raining – an instant warm welcome! I felt excited, nervous and enthusiastic, like butterflies multiplied by ten. I knew I had digital support, but I couldn’t hug my parents. Despite that, I was very optimistic: this was a new space and chapter of my life. It was probably going to be one of the best (and looking back, it was). I even met one person at the airport! We found out we were going to the same student accommodation village and we’re still friends now.

Networking as A Student Versus as A Graduate

Speaking of making friends, how did you deal with not knowing anybody at all?

I’d say I’m an ambivert: I don’t generally talk that much but over here I had to talk a lot. I was living with five other strangers – and my interest in mystery books makes me naturally suspicious of others! This changed instantly because by flatmates were absolute sweethearts. When I arrived, we all went for a walk to get to know each other. Over time, we became a little family: hanging out together for Halloween, exchanging Christmas presents and staying in contact to this day.

How does networking differ when you’re a student compared to when you’re working?

I think it was easier to network as a student even professionally because of the university careers centre and careers fairs. Once you graduate the only real opportunities to network are those that you make yourself. You have to be proactive: make the most of LinkedIn, friends of friends, and classmates who have gone onto other jobs. Make sure you keep in contact with your professors too. Every student should grab the opportunities presented to them!