Case Study

“I have what a lot of people think of as a typical student job – I work in a bar.  

I’ve been doing it for the past six years now and, in a strange way, it’s led me to where I am now.  

After doing the work for a little while I decided to take my experience further and join a bartending school.   

It’s what helped me realise that my job meant so much more than just shaking drinks and waiting tables.  

It was about the hospitality industry, and it had links to one of my other loves – travelling.  

I wanted to learn more, not just bartending, but the industry that it sits within.  

That’s when I decided to do a degree. I started looking for something that would help me learn more about the hospitality industry.   

But I also thought I could study something like tourism and really combine my business interests with my love of travelling.  

I found the University of Sunderland in London from a friend who had studied here. I went through the prospectus and really liked the look of it.   

Then when I got to the interview stage, I was impressed by how professional the whole process was.  

And it turns out the classes match that same attitude, so I feel like I’ve made a really good choice for myself.  

To be honest my biggest surprise was which parts of the course I’ve found the most interesting.   

The module on the history of tourism with Lila Milone is really amazing and not something I thought I’d be intrigued by at first.   

It left me eager to learn more and I’ve taken inspiration from it for my career plans.  

I like the idea of opening a sort of travel agency, but one that does events too, which would mean I can use my bartending experience as well.  

The idea is basically that I want to help people find travel options but also stay in contact with them to organise things like parties, weddings, business meetings or promotional events.  

What I’m learning at the University is giving me the skills I’ll need to make that idea a reality.  

If I were to give any advice to people thinking about studying for their degrees here it’s to remember you only have one life.  

Make the decision that is right for you, but you’ll rarely get the chance to study and work in a big city like London while getting the support you need to avoid the typical student stress.  

Whatever path you want to take, university is a great step forward.”  

Want to follow in Francesco’s footsteps? Take a look at our Tourism, Hospitality and Events courses.  

You can also register your interest or book a personal consultation to find out more.