From a very young age, we’re taught to follow our dreams and map out our careers before we leave the realm of education. When we get out there in the real world, however, our experience never quite matches those rose tinted dreams of youth. The experience of life teaches us to reevaluate our priorities. Those of us who spent our teenage years fantasising about the trappings of wealth realise how hollow the pursuit of money for its own sake is and pine for something more meaningful. The would be pop stars and Hollywood A-listers realise that they were a big fish in a small pond growing up, and that their chosen career path is a merry-go-round of rejection and “resting” jobs.
This can leave many of us in our twenties and thirties feeling directionless. While we may be well qualified, we’re unsure where to invest our skills for a career that’s lucrative yet rewarding. You may not have considered the food industry. At face value it’s not the most glamorous or challenging of places in which to pursue your career. Nonetheless, there are numerous qualities that make it attractive to people in various different stages of their careers…
It’s pretty much recession proof
We live in economically uncertain times. Entire industries are springing up, fading into obscurity almost overnight or at the very least are massively overhauling their practices in order to survive in the fast moving and technological;ly led business landscape of today. The food industry, however, is all but recession proof. In times of prosperity or austerity, people will always need to eat. There are a number of people out there who are desperate for the kind of job security you’ll enjoy.
It’s richly multifaceted
The food industry is both a science and an art form. Thus, it can appeal to the meticulously minded and the creative alike. No matter where your skills lie, there’s a good chance that you can find food industry jobs to suit your skills, disposition and ambitions. From manufacture to marketing, from international trading to gastrointestinal sciences, there really is something for everyone in the food industry. One of the biggest problems that many face in their career, especially in the early stages, is that of boredom and under stimulation. The great thing about the food industry is that its multifaceted nature provides numerous opportunities for lateral progression, meaning that you need never get bored at work.
There are so many opportunities
The food industry is big business (both in the revenue it generates and the often global scale at which it operates), which means a plethora of opportunities for those who are prepared to put in the hard work. A career in the food industry isn’t all hairnets and assembly lines. You could well be afforded opportunities to travel all over the world for free. You could get opportunities to work with other brands for co-branded products or at the very least you’ll find yourself getting a lot of free food.
As you can see, the combination of job security, diversity and opportunity makes the food industry and extremely appetising choice!
