Too old, too educated, and too many opinions…
How good fortune led to my lifelong career in hospitality
After I left university, (long story), I wanted to work in travel. It had always fascinated me. As an eight-year-old from the Canadian countryside, I saw multi-level freeways and turnpikes on a summer holiday road trip to California for the first time. We named the criss-crossing roads and ramps spaghetti and all the cars meatballs. I wondered who was in each of those thousands of cars and where were they going. Our destination was Disneyland. Where were they going? What were they seeking? Who were they meeting? Were they as excited as we were?
The noise from the honking horns told me they were certainly as impatient as we were.
When I was 13, a family vacation in Europe solidified my love of travel.
Airports became my thing. Even more people going even more places faster and further away than the freeway meatballs would ever get. I was amazed by the teeming activity when a plane pulled up to the terminal. It would immediately be swarmed by ground crew and equipment. Passengers would disembark, new passengers would board. In the terminal there would be teary farewells and tearier reunions.
As a university dropout with an almost finished Master’s degree in Psychology (long story, let’s save it for another day.), I checked the papers for job ads in the travel sector. I applied at the airport but never received a response.
My search expanded to include travel agents and tour operators. I had an interview here and there but never a second interview and never an offer. I had no experience, no relevant education and, it seemed, no chance of getting a job.
Finally, I got desperate, expanded my search even more and landed a job as a ticket taker at a movie theatre. It was great! It paid relatively well, hours were good and you could watch all the free movies you wanted. I was thrilled. For a while it was like the Best. Job. Ever.
To be honest, my Mom wasn’t as thrilled as me. She couldn’t understand that I had gone to university for 6 years and ended up as a ticket taker. I tried to explain that it had perks and benefits- unlimited free movie passes. I tried to explain that it paid better than any of the jobs I had while in school. I tried to explain that I had a spiffy uniform, (“I even have a hat that makes me look like a military officer.”) but she still wasn’t impressed.
Despite having the best job ever, within a couple of months the job had morphed into something that was excruciatingly boring. Then I saw the ad that would literally change the rest of my life.
“Security Guard, SAS Scandinavia Hotel”.
SAS was an airline owned by the three Scandinavian governments. It was held in high esteem as “The Business Man’s Airline”. Maybe businesswomen hadn’t been invented yet, or maybe they had their own airline. I don’t know. What I did know, from watching a million movies the previous three months, was that hotel security guards sat in front of TV monitors, led a very relaxed life and often fell asleep on the job. I could do this and SAS was travel. My thought was that the job would be a foot in the door at the airline and that I could apply internally for airport jobs.
I applied and received a response inviting me to an interview. It seemed surprisingly simple. That changed on the day of the interview.
I had never been in a five star hotel before. Our vacations had been camping in a tent before we moved up in the world and started camping in a trailer / caravan. When we were in Europe in ’73 B&Bs gave us real beds to sleep in and we even enjoyed the hotel-like luxury of staying in some youth hostels. Maybe we even stayed in a hotel or two. I don’t, however, recall entering any hotels that had a floss hat- and cape-wearing doorman outside.
SAS Scandinavia Hotel in Oslo had the fancy doorman. When you peered through the entrance you saw a sea of plush, royal red carpet and more brass than the Ohio State University Marching Band.
This was out of my league and, as I approached the entrance, the guys from Wayne’s World popped up in my head yelling “You’re not worthy!” (Note: critics have told me that this was in 1987, five year’s before the Wayne’s World movie came out, so it can’t be true. I disagree, and if I ever meet Mike Myers I will be sure to let him know that these characters were in my head before they were in his!)
I couldn’t force myself to enter. I walked past the entrance to the corner of the building where the ground was covered in cigarette butts from the crowds that had lined up the night before to enter the newly-opened Galaxy Night Club. I was feeling failure as I turned the corner and headed down the street. My sub-conscious took over and steered me into the small shopping arcade that was attached to the hotel. I really needed a job. I went up to the lobby and told the concierge I was there for an interview. He told me to wait.
The Security Manager was a former policeman. He could have been a movie star because he was exactly like many of the hotel detectives in the movies I’d seen. He ran a tight ship. He was an extremely competent investigator and he read people very well. He definitely read me like an open book from the children’s section of the library. It took him one look at me and a short glance at my resumé to know that I was not the man for the job. Number one, he wasn’t even looking for a man.
“All I need is a kid. A boy. One that is loyal, honest, sober and is fresh from his military service.”
I wasn’t a kid (I was 27) and, as a foreigner, I hadn’t done any military service.
“You’re too old and too educated,” he said. (Strike 1, Strike 2)
No matter how great I looked in my “Officer and a Gentleman” hat at the movie theatre, I really wanted a job that was more interesting than ripping tickets in two. So, with no idea about hotel operations or security, or the combination of hotels and security, I did my best to convince him to hire me.
“You have too many opinions, too,” he said. Strike 3. I was out. The interview ended shortly thereafter.
Sometime, perhaps a week or so later, the phone rang. It was the Security Manager. He reminded me that I wasn’t really his first choice and that he really didn’t want to hire me.
Then he told me that there had only been two applicants for the job. The other guy had withdrawn his application because he was from out of town and couldn’t find a place to live in Oslo.
“I need someone to stand in the lobby on Friday night,” he said.
“I’m your guy,” I said.
I quit my job at the theatre, despite the fact that it paid about 40% more than the hotel paid. I was no longer the university drop out that ended up as a ticket taker at the cinema. Now, I was the university drop out that quit his job as a ticket taker and took an even lowlier job as a hotel security guard.
During the next 31 years, I grew with the company and literally rose from basement to boardroom.
It was the best job choice I ever made. My career took me places I’d never imagined, and introduced me to security and hospitality professionals around the world.
It’s a wonderful world to be part of!
87-stories are part of the Always Care Community newsletters, where we share memories, experiences, and lessons learned at the “University of Life”!
Thanks for reading and for supporting my work.
Please connect to learn more about how our expertise can support you, your team, and your business.
Stay safe, Always Care
Nice rise! I like this story.