Here are the questions that all HRM majors have to answer all day every day, and the answers to them.
1. "Does HRM stand for human resource management??"
Nope. This may not be the most obvious misunderstanding for the degree, but HRM majors study hotel and restaurant management. We don't want to deal with emotional employees for a living. We love talking to people, but not necessarily when its about problems.
2. "You must be so good at cooking!"
Actually... some of us can craft five-course meals, but others burn water. Being in restaurant management and intro culinary courses does not automatically make any of us Micheline star chefs, far from. For the most part, each student has their own passions and skill sets that they use in the program to find which career within HRM will best suit them. Gordon Ramsay, I am not... sadly.
3. "Do you think you'll make any money though?"
Yes. In short, yes. The hotel and restaurant industry may go up and down, but the reality is simple. People will always need a warm bed and a hot meal. There's always going to be a need everywhere for at least some bit of hospitality. However, I like to put it that I could be anything from a CEO to a line cook for the rest of my life.
4. "You must work in a gross job."
Thankfully, the hospitality industry is actually a wide variety of occupations that don't always involve cleaning out deep fryers and scrubbing hotel bathrooms. People don't always realize that resorts, casinos, cruise ships, and clubs are all part of the hospitality industry. Going into the major, you get the opportunity to try out all of them.
5. "How are you going to make it in the world?"
Easy. How everyone else does: trying hard and winging it.