I could remember back in high school (back when it was K+10) that we were told the necessity of getting good grades in English, Mathematics, and Science to get into the courses people liked to take. Back then, it was a fad to take Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) to which people were taking it at the University of San Carlos-Talamban Campus. It was always said that if you get even one low grade for the three subjects--you had to be pushed to "trash courses". However, two of my classmates told me these truths that (1) a chef can be a highly paid job, (2) if Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) as a course was so easy then it wouldn't be offered in college, and (3) you need good communication skills in the HRM. So teachers have been rather outdated about that and should've said that if you don't study well--why not become an editor for the vernacular or Bisaya comics instead?
I took the Associate in Computer Science course (because my math grade didn't reach 80 at that time but at 79), I didn't get accepted into BSIT (and a lot of BSIT students were shifting away), and that I'm glad I didn't get accepted. I couldn't help but laugh with some of the math teachers who said it was good I didn't qualify. Though, I only wanted to take BSIT because of peer pressure. What wasn't known was that Bachelor of Science in HRM. I decided to take Bachelors of Science in Business Administration instead for my remaining college years. It took me a total of 5 years to get a bachelor's degree because I took a short-term course. I took summer classes left and right to catch up and to march on march. Though, I still had inner resentment towards myself as to why I wasn't qualified for BSIT because I felt like leaving the country. Though, part of me wished to take HRM instead and prove the critics wrong--HRM is a useful course.
I had some classmates in my marketing classes who were HRM. I felt like HRM should be best described as, "Business administration for people who love to cook." If HRM was so easy then why did they need marketing and accounting subjects? If I'm not wrong, HRM still requires business calculus because knowing the rates of change and optimization are necessary. A hotel doesn't only use calculus when it's built. Business calculus is used to determine the number of rooms to which the hotel will reach its profits. Calculus is also used in cooking to determine the optimal amount of ingredients to make a good dish or the right temperature for the food. It would've been better said, "I dare you to take HRM without scientific knowledge. You'd end up burning your steak or finding your job boring cooking without knowing science!" That's why remedial science subjects are still required by the HRM during the K+10 years.
Throughout commerce week--it really made me see the importance of HRM. HRM graduates aren't low-level workers--they are entry level to medium level workers. It's not easy to be a waiter either as some take that job to pay for their tuition. Besides, the M in HRM means management--it's not as easy as it sounds. My 3 years spent in the BSBA program and 3 years in the MBA program made me see how HRM is actually part of economics. People will eat and we need chefs. Being a chef shouldn't be looked down as a lowly job--unless one's a chef in an eatery that doesn't follow safety standards! Besides, Gordom Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen will tell you how being a chef is no walk in the park. Watching cooking shows on Netflix or any digital platform will tell you how HRM is that important.
Just think much of the national economy also involves the HRM industry. If there was no HRM industry then businessmen will have no one to sell their food supplies to. If there was no HRM industry then civil engineers will build empty hotels and restaurants. If there was no HRM industry then nobody will be feeding the populace or organize parties. Every customer in a legitimate restaurant, even when it's not a five-star one, means income. Restaurants end up as a convenient place to buy food when one's hungry and too tired to cook. In the end, the engineers have to eat. In the end, businessmen may want to buy their lunch from a nearby restaurant. The importance of HRM courses should never be looked down because without out--it would mean a serious blow to society.