Turning the Page

School is OUT!

It’s official; I am done classes and am now only 160 practicum hours away from receiving my Advanced Travel and Tourism Diploma from the Canadian Tourism College.

Over the last 8 months I have learned so many different aspects of the business, ranging from the fundamentals of the travel and tourism industry, selling skills and world geography, to domestic and international airline tariff & ticketing, consolidator net fares and airline reservations global distribution system (GDS) training (Apollo, Sabre, and Amadeus).

It’s been weeks and weeks of hard work but it has also been incredible fun and amazingly rewarding.

And after all my hard work I have been nominated as Class Valedictorian. What an honour. While it was not something that I was aiming for, it is nonetheless flattering and rewarding to know that my hard work has not gone unnoticed.

My passion was engaged and became alive while in the classroom, I was inspired on a daily basis and my desire to excel and learn became more pronounced than ever before.

It is truly amazing what age and wisdom do for someone who is pursuing further education. In high school I could have cared less about grades and even attending class. College was just one long excuse to party and socialize. Now, 12 years later it is clear that I have come full circle.

And as much as I am somewhat scared and nervous about leaving the comforts of the classroom and what my future career may hold for me, I am eager to jump in with both feet and see where the ride takes me.

It is time to turn the page and start the next chapter.