Comments on: Cooking School Is Not For Everyone

By: @confused

@confused — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:17:18 +0000

Confused, I just started at the Culinary Institute of America, and so far I do not regret anything I have spent. I’m walking out of here in a mountain of debt, but if you love what you do, money is just something that keeps you under a roof. This is not a glamorous job. It’s not a well-paying job. If you’re not prepared to spend the next 10 to 25 years paying a debt of this nature off, then don’t do it.

Whether or not it’s “worth it” depends entirely on you and how you feel about cooking. The CIA is an excellent school, but as above, it’s hard. They go through everything you have to learn quickly. They are literally cramming your head with knowledge every day. It’s a LOT of work, both in-class and homework, but I believe it fully prepares us for the reality of the workplace outside of our little enclosure.

One of the first classes you have to take is Product Knowledge. For the final (the class is only weeks long), you need to be able to identify and explain the qualities of a number of randomly selected pieces of produce that the teacher takes out of the storeroom — which means you have to have a competency of every single item in there if you hope to do well on it. And that’s not even the hardest part of the school, by far…

Thanks for posting your comment and congratulations on being at the Culinary Institute of America. Please drop us a line once in a while to let us know how your studies are coming along. - RG

By: now very confused

now very confused — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:39:41 +0000

oh and by the way . . . . i know everybody is saying that the school is very costly but for the people who have attended those schools, was it worth it? Even though your still probably paying your debt off?

By: now very confused

now very confused — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:36:08 +0000

okay so I’m not very good in a conventional school setting . I have always said that I’m not good at anything or if i am its nothing i can pursue a career in. Then one day i was sitting on my bed eating some food I just made enjoying every last bite of it and thought well duh silly you love to cook why not be a chef!? I got all excited and starting doing some research and found this site. I’m not going to lie i’m kinda discouraged and confused now. I’m eighteen years old and i just dropped out of a regular big named university because i really didn’t know what I was doing there. i really do love to cook and bake I take direction very well and when its something that i want I work very hard to get it. I love people and working with people, i love travel and food! so i guess my question is do I have the right stuff? and should I move forward in the culinary world by taking the next step and going to a culinary school.

Great observations and even better questions. Let me know what you decide and how it works out. - RG

By: Claire Bennett

Claire Bennett — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 02:30:21 +0000

hi my name is Claire (21) and I am in my last semester of college. I, like you said, thought it would be good to get my AAS in culinary arts before I go into baking a pastries. And now I’m finally graduating!! I have a very realistic view of the culinary field. have a job at a local hospital cooking for patients and its given me sooooo much experience. I’m not the best cook, baking is my forte, but i find it marketable that i have experience. I want to bake and decorate cakes and pastries for a living. Its hard and I get frustrated and no, its not for everyone. but i work hard and I’m getting a skill I will use for the rest of my life

Congratulations Claire on all your hard work. Please keep us advised on your progress. Good luck. - RG

By: Jacolien Potgieter

Jacolien Potgieter — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 12:01:26 +0000

I’m 33 years old and have been passionate about baking since I was 10. I unfortunately did not have the opportunity to make baking my career and went into the insurance industry instead. I’m now looking to change careers and become a Pastry Chef. I’m also struggling to decide if I need the formal qualification that a culinary institute provides or not. It is very expensive! I am maybe looking at doing an informal ’small specialized baking’ course to see if I really will be able to make my hobby my career! My husband is in the ice cream industry and wants to start his own ice cream factory, so maybe the formal Pastry Chef Diploma might be needed there after all….

Hi Jacolien, you may want to try doing some part time work at a bakery before you make your decision to go to school to see if you like the working environment. - RG