I hope this is the right thread since I am seeking opinions rather than cold, hard answers. My dilemma:
I am 32-yeard old guy enjoying my comfy IT job and feeling relatively secure here. Despite this, the facts remain that in all likelihood my job may go away someday. This, combined with the fact that I really enjoy cooking has piqued my interest in a local community class being offered in July.
The class is about 139-hours, broken down into 29 3 1/2-hour sessions (don’t check the math, I’m going from memory), as well as 40 hours of ‘internship’. The description mentions that the class will cover things like knife techniques (where I know I am sadly lacking), sauces, baking, smoking, frying, prepping, etc. as well as project planning.
The downside is that the class is $2400, although this includes professional knives and textbook(s). While we can certainly afford this, I do not want to throw away my money and time if there will be no longterm value in the class (both for my personal self and perhaps eventually a professional self).
My questions are 1) would you consider this a reasonable price for what I am getting, as again, I am a VERY amateur chef,
2) for those who do cook for a living, does this seem at least enough to get one’s foot in the door as a soux chef someday (there is no way I can afford the $26,000 to attend Atlanta Art Institute for their culinary degree),
3) am I too old to embark in such an endeavor, and
4) does anyone else have any experience with cooking classes like this that can share something to help me sway one way or the other?
I hope someone will come in w/ real world answers. That said,
I don’t know…
I am not a profession chef, but I would think that unless you’re thinking about working at a resort or big restaurant, I’m not sure that having a formal degree makes a diff or not. It seems like a lot of chefs/bakers I know are self-taught or trained-on-the-job. Granted, that takes longer, but the experience is key, I’d think. I’m assuming that the program you are talking about offers a certification rather than a diploma? The Culinary Institute here offers an actual AA degree.
God, I hope not, because I’m your age and seriously thinking about going to culinary school too. I think no, since a huge percentage of cooking school students are career switchers.
A friend of mine was torn between cooking school and law school. he chose law, because both the schooling and the career would be less stressful.
As for your questions, I can’t answer them, sorry. However, some of the answers depend on what you want to do with your cooking. I bet the class would go a long way towards making you a confident and credible chef in terms of getting a job as a cook at a regular low-budget restaurant…but is likely to be much less useful if you want to work at a well known gourmet restaurant.
My boyfriend is in culinary school, and decided to do so at the age of 28. He had to shell out quite a bit of $$, but the program is full time for one year, so it was worth it (about $25,000 - ouch). You are NOT too old to begin this, he has told me there are many “older” students in his classes, and they tend to do better since they’ve had time to really think about what they want to do with their life.
Just like anything, you want to have a passion for it. He couldn’t go slave over stoves and have the patience for cooking if he didn’t love doing it - that is the key to being successful.
I have a cousin who graduated from a local well-regarded culinary program. I don’t see him often, but every time I do see him, he has a new job. His problem is that he doesn’t want to move, and experience is a very important part of a resume. No one hires and inexperienced chef, and a degree is not the same thing. He bounces around as basically a line cook for a pittance, but it’s kind of his own fault as he won’t move anywhere.
My point is that you will have to take a big pay cut, you should strongly consider moving and enjoy working every weekend and holiday until youi die.
One of my best friends did something similar to what you are considering a long while ago (when we we’re younger and slightly more foolish). He took a course at the county Vocational/Technical school, which is hardly the Art Institute or even near the league of some of the top schools. But he learned a lot, had some aptitude, and enjoyed what he did. I loved visiting the school cafeteria to let the budding young chefs “practice” on us.
He then got a job as a line cook working at a relative pittance. But he was much better than the other line cooks and has an outgoing personality. He soon was the head cook, then manager at that restaurant. Afterwards he got work at a local country club, which is a thread of it’s own (lots of personalities involved, especially in Florida where everyone is retired and internecine politics is rife), and again quickly moved up there. He now manages a different country club in the same area. He hires and fires chefs, makes good money (low six figures) and plays golf for free. On the downside he has to work most holidays and most nights. This doesn’t work for everyone.
Your mileage will almost definitely vary. But there are lots of routes you can take to success if you are motivated and talented (maybe open your own restaurant?) In my opinion the IT industry has peaked in this country, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a successful career of it. Are you happy in a 9-5 IT job, which may not have a lot more upside potential?
Net, I’d only take the course if I were seriously considering this as an option, or really wanted to improve myself as a cook. Could you get a job as a sous chef? Probably, but most likely not in a top place, until you made connections and gained experience.
I graduated from California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, California 2 years ago. Since then, I’ve had a taste of working in the restaurant/catering business, and I’ll be honest and frank with my opinion.
I think the price of the class is reasonable for what you’re getting. You’ll be getting what sounds like a very basic base of knowledge to get your foot in the door as a prep cook, and you will walk out of the class knowing more than you began with. Certainly, if you’re considering this for your own personal knowledge, then it would be worth it.
Sous chef? Maybe someday. Be prepared to take a substantial pay cut; work 60 to 70 hours a week; work holidays, weekends, and nights for at least two to three years (of course, YMMV). It’s rare that someone with no restaurant experience walks straight out of school and lands a sous chef position. I’ve been working the 2 years so far, and I’m not in any actual management position (although I have a great job where I’m at). Also, you were concerned about the security of your present job as noted in your OP. I’ll tell you this: restaurants are not the most secure of businesses, either. Layoffs during off-seasons are very common–I got laid off three months after 9/11 when the hospitality business took a nose dive, and it took me four months to find another job because no one was going out to dinner.
Nope, you’re not too old. Average age of the students in my class was 28. I was 29 when I graduated. Granted, when you go out there, you might have a few 19 year olds running circles around you in the kitchen, but maturity does also count, too.
My experience with school was one of those full-time $30K AOS degree situations, so I don’t know what that class will actually offer you.
A few comments:
If you’re going to work in a kitchen, be in relatively good health.
Find a very good pair of work shoes. I can’t tell you how important this is.
Read Kitchen Confidential. Putting all of Bourdain’s blowhardedness (is that a word? ), it’s a pretty good picture of what working in a restaurant can be like.
Working on the line in summer can be miserable.
Think about the restaurant businesses where you live. Are they all chain restaurants? Are there many privately owned places? Does the area you live in have a tourist season, where places shut down for several months during the winter/summer? Are you willing to move to look for work? Are you in a financial position where you can handle a major cut in income for several years?
If you have any more questions, my email is in my profile.
), it’s a pretty good picture of what working in a restaurant can be like.