Best career advice no matter your major: an FIU founder and hospitality industry legend tells it like it is

Five decades ago, FIU Hospitality Professor Emeritus and current Associate Dean of Alumni Relations Rocco M. Angelo joined a small program that has morphed into what is today the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management on the Biscayne Bay Campus. This semester, the hospitality pioneer marks his 50th anniversary at FIU. At 93, he is the oldest faculty member still coming to work, and he does so with excitement and a big smile on his face. 

“I have the best job in the world,” says Angelo, who graduated with his second bachelor’s degree in hospitality from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration in 1958. “It’s still exciting to be part of a university that keeps growing and advancing,” he says of FIU. He has witnessed the program go from its first graduating class of just 15 to the second largest and No. 6 best hospitality school in the United States, according to the latest 2024 QS World University Rankings.  

Awesome threesome: Rocco Angelo (center) on BBC in the 1980s with then-Assistant Dean Col. Lee C. Dickson (left) and then-Dean Tony Marshall.

“THE LEGEND”

Angelo has made an impact on tens of thousands of students over his 50-year career. Many colleagues and students even call him “The Legend." That’s because his name is synonymous with hospitality. He literally wrote the book on hospitality management, “Hospitality Today: An Introduction,” the ninth and most recent edition of which he co-authored with current Chaplin School Dean Michael Cheng. The book is used at FIU and by hospitality programs and educators from other schools around the world to teach future hospitality leaders.

“Rocco’s leadership, mentorship and lasting impact on generations of students and alumni has been extraordinary and changed the outcome of so many lives,” said Cheng.

Over the past five decades and under the leadership of five different deans, Angelo admits he’s had to reinvent himself more than once as new generations of students enroll in college. During his time with the school, he’s welcomed four new generations of students – from Gen Z, to Gen Y, to Millennials, to Gen Alpha.

“What I have learned from Rocco is that success is not just about achieving goals, but the journey and the people you uplift along the way,” said Richard Brilliant, chief risk and compliance officer for Carnival Corporation and Chaplin School alumnus class of 1993. “His role in the hospitality industry and his genuine care for students have left an indelible mark on all of us, our profession and of course the success of FIU,” he added.

FIVE DECADES OF ADVICE

To mark his 50^th anniversary, Angelo is sharing five decades of advice suitable for students and alumni of any major. Here are his five top pieces of advice, one for every decade:

#1 - Be curious about the many different career paths. Be curious about your professors, your classmates, your work pals, everyone you meet. I’ve been telling students that for years.

#2 - Make yourself an expert in the career path you have chosen. Do research, do internships, talk to people who are experts in the field. Become an expert in what it is you want to do for the rest of your life.

#3 - Don’t be afraid to change career paths if you figure out early that what you’re doing is not for you.

#4 - If you are changing jobs, don’t move laterally. Move upwards. Make a move that is upwards and if you must move laterally, find out if it’s just for a brief period, and if possible, get it in writing.

#5 - Follow the opportunity, not the money, if possible.

See "The Legend" deliver his best advice. 

CONSTANT CHANGE

As for Angelo, his three personal keys to success are change, growth and advancement.

Currently, he comes to the office at least twice a week. He works with other faculty members and staff to ensure that students actively participate in major conferences to better understand the field and represent the school. He also helps lead the school's alumni networking efforts through alumni reunions and events, which are well attended by former students, who just can’t get enough of “The Legend.”