Studying abroad offers individuals the opportunity for both personal and professional career growth. With globalization changing many industries, it is vital for aspirants to gain the experience and edge through overseas academic learning.
For Indian national Sreeram Devarajan, coming to the Philippines to study at the Asian School of Hospitality Arts (ASHA) is a decision that brought him closer not only to his academic goals but also to rewarding career prospects.
Hailing from a third-generation family of hoteliers and restaurateurs—his late grandfather T. N. Narayanan owned the Kerala Bhavan and Madras Café since 1948—Devarajan has the pedigree and potential of a professional cook. From Kerala, India, Devarajan found himself in Malaysia where he started as a culinary student at KDU University Malaysia and later as a sous chef and banquet chef at the Holiday Villa Hotel & Suites in Subang, Malaysia.
But the young chef was far from resting on his laurels. From Malaysia, Devarajan went to Vietnam as well as in Mauritius where he earned a higher diploma in international hotel management. He also graduated with a degree in international hotel and tourism management from IMI Switzerland.
“It was during those travels that I saw the expanding progress of the hotel and tourism industries. I also understood that to set yourself apart from others and to be well-positioned in management-related careers, I need to add an international dimension to my specialization,” he says.
“It was during those travels that I saw the expanding progress of the hotel and tourism industries. I also understood that to set yourself apart from others and to be well-positioned in management-related careers, I need to add an international dimension to my specialization,” he says.
By the time he went back to Malaysia, Devarajan was determined to level up his professional qualifications. From being an accomplished chef, he decided to specialize in F&B operations management at ASHA.
“When I came here, I instantly knew that this is the right country for me because everywhere I go, there is food. Even on the streets, I see people eating. There are also a lot of tourists. The opportunity to learn more about hospitality and food is right here because the demand for food is high,” he says.
Sreeram graduated in ASHA in 2011, mastering the key skills of hospitality management in the F&B industry to become an F&B business consultant, a restaurant manager, and an Asian food consultant among others. He currently works as an Indian cuisine and business management consultant.
According to ASHA dean Angie Blanco, it’s important now more than ever for students and even established professionals to gain competency skills so they can succeed in the global marketplace.
“Devarajan is our first foreign national graduate, and we are proud to see how he has made tremendous strides in his hospitality career.”
