Am I too late to learn!?

[chicouk]

hi all

just spoke to my dad yesterday that i want to take cooking seriously and go to cooking school/college. At the moment i am casual cooking fanatic but i am in university doing music production and i wont graduate until i am 22 (2009). After telling my dad this he said that it is too late for me to learn to cook profesionally and after when he said that to me i felt like he was right in someway and my dreams has kinda shattered.

Any advice?

Cheers

Aaron

 

[Andy M.]

With all due respect to your dad, I don;t think it's too late.

Do what you want. You don't want to live you life regretting what you never did.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Lets see 22 in 2009, makes you around 20 now! If you were my son my advice would be...Be sure it is what you really want to do! If so, then go for it with everything you've got! It is not to late. Hey! Maybe you could do both! Finish your Music Production degree. Then Culinary School! It's not to late to do that either!!! Good Luck with whatever choice you make!

 

[Robo410]

Many students at culinary school have a 4 year college degree and then go for an associates in occupational studies (standard culinary degree). It's not too late. In my class at CIA there were: a student going for his second culinary degree (had baking was adding culinary), an elementary teacher, a realtor, a professional cook going for degree studies, two folks just out of the army, me, (at the time I had two college degrees already), in fact just about half of us already had professional training or college and were adding this. Why? Interest, business, whatever. You may end up a cook or chef, caterer, shop owner, restauranteur, writer, who knows. And frankly the skills you will have from Musical production be they live or studio, will only add to your skill set as a food service professional. If it's what you want, go for it!

 

[VeraBlue]

Are you related to my daughter?? My daughter has completed a full year, and is currently in her second year at a nice university in NYC. She's a psychology major. We had an enlightening family discussion recently regarding what she really wants to do...drop out of the psych program, leave that school and enroll in a culinary institute.

I cannot say we're disappointed, but we were surprised. I'm a chef, so it's not like the idea of cooking professionally comes from left field. What was surprising is that she didn't take this road, originally. What is disenheartening is all the money that has already been applied to a profession she never really had an interest in.

If you want to switch direction, please do it now, before overmuch more money is spent on something you won't pursue. Do all your research before you make the change. Find out how many hours you have to spend in the classroom, and in externship. What type of degree will you exit the program with, and how are they with job placement assistance.

Finally.......this profession is nothing like any of those chef shows you see on television. The competition for a position is great enough that many cooks are hired for under 10 bucks an hour. You'll work nights, weekends and holidays. You'll be criticized mercilously. Your back and knees will give you problems before you are 30.

There are numerous pluses to this industry, as well. The fun part is in discovering those, for yourself.

I suggest you have another discussion with your family. Come prepared with facts, figures and goals. Good luck.

 

[Hoot]

It is never too late to learn. If it is something you want to do, you should pursue it.
Speaking as a father of three....I would never tell one of my kids that they are too late to learn to do anything. I wish you success in whatever you decide to do.

 

[GotGarlic]

What Hoot said I have a friend who was a nuclear engineer for Westinghouse. In his early 40s, he decided he wanted to be a doctor - that's 4 years of medical school and 3 years of residency. It's never too late to follow your dream, especially at 20 or so. Good luck.

 

[chicouk]

Thank you so much guys, you made me so happy

i think at the moment i just got to prove to my dad what i am capable of in the kitchen. Al i am going to do now is to concentrate getting this degree as well as researching/thinking and praying to god about my future.

Thanks All

Aaron

 

[Michelemarie]

It is never too late to learn!

 

[PytnPlace]

Thank you so much guys, you made me so happy

i think at the moment i just got to prove to my dad what i am capable of in the kitchen. Al i am going to do now is to concentrate getting this degree as well as researching/thinking and praying to god about my future.

Thanks All

Aaron

Sounds like a good plan Aaron!

 

[pdswife]

Nope... not to old at all.
Go for the dream!

 

[DramaQueen]

You're never too old to learn anything. If this is what you want, go for it. This is a very tough industry. My son in law was a chef for years, had to give it up now due to back problems. But I can tell you this - it's a 7 day a week 14 to 16 hour day type of job. You will work under very hard conditons, the heat in a kitchen can exceed 120 degrees. He worked very hard and for the first 7 or 8 years he made just over minimum wage. The pay is low and few chefs are able to handle the pressure. If you know and accept this then work hard and be what you want to be. Just do your research. Try to get a job in a kitchen so you can see what the industry is about. And the best of luck to you.

 

[chave982]

You're never too old to learn anything. If this is what you want, go for it. This is a very tough industry. My son in law was a chef for years, had to give it up now due to back problems. But I can tell you this - it's a 7 day a week 14 to 16 hour day type of job. You will work under very hard conditons, the heat in a kitchen can exceed 120 degrees. He worked very hard and for the first 7 or 8 years he made just over minimum wage. The pay is low and few chefs are able to handle the pressure. If you know and accept this then work hard and be what you want to be. Just do your research. Try to get a job in a kitchen so you can see what the industry is about. And the best of luck to you.

Wow...so this is what you get from getting a culinary degree? What's the motivation to do it then?

 

[ChefJune]

hi all

just spoke to my dad yesterday that i want to take cooking seriously and go to cooking school/college. At the moment i am casual cooking fanatic but i am in university doing music production and i wont graduate until i am 22 (2009). After telling my dad this he said that it is too late for me to learn to cook profesionally and after when he said that to me i felt like he was right in someway and my dreams has kinda shattered.

Any advice?

Cheers

Aaron

It is definitely NOT too late. However, before you invest even one dollar in culinary school, you need to get a job working in a professional kitchen. Likely it will NOT be a cooking job, but a dish dog.

You need to get a feel for what the professional kitchen is really like before you make that big move (and investment). The professional kitchen is to the home kitchen as quinces are to apples.....

and good luck!

 

[DramaQueen]

Wow...so this is what you get from getting a culinary degree? What's the motivation to do it then?

If you have to ask that question, then you are definitely not motivated. You do it because you love cooking, or because you want to excel in the industry or because you want to be creative with food. IF you're doing it for the money, or the easy job idea, forget it. As I said, you need to get a job in the industry to see firsthand what it's all about. If you can't take the heat stay out of the kitchen. Cuz you're going to take a lot of heat. The head chef will give you all the heat you can take. They are temperametal, and will scream at you if you screw up or don't work fast enough. This is their job, to see that the kitchen runs as smoothly as possible. Do yourself a favor and take a good hard look at what you're getting into. This is a great way to be creative, but you're going to work very, very hard and long.

 

[Caine]

I suggest you make an appointment to sit down and have a nice, long, heart-to-heart with your career planning and placement counselor.

 

[ChefJune]

DQ has said it in a very truthful, maybe painful way... but that's what it is.

There is nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING glamorous about being a chef. It may look that way when you see folks performing on TV, but the reality of the job is long, long hours on your feet, lots of heavy lifting, in a very hot kitchen. If you don't have the passion, you will never make it.Those who are successful are so because they are compelled to cook.

 

[bowlingshirt]

Do you have any experience working in a restaurant? If not, I suggest trying to get some entry level job just so you can get exposed to what goes on before persuing a degree in the field.

 

[Barbara L]

Wow...so this is what you get from getting a culinary degree? What's the motivation to do it then?

I would assume it is the same motivation that drives most people to follow a career path for which they feel a calling. For instance, who on earth would ever become a teacher, if not called to it? Dealing with parents who all think their little angels are perfect and could never do wrong, dealing with ever-changing principals (I had 8 in 10 years) who each have a different idea of how to run the school, dealing with kids who ask things like, "Is Magellan still dead?" and truly mean it, dealing with sagging pants, children cussing, and trying to bring a class full of 4th graders (several of whom can't read) up to grade-level by the end of the year--who would take something like that on? Who would take on a culinary career? People are attracted to various careers for many reasons. We don't choose a career path because of the difficult parts, but in spite of them, and we try hard to be the best at it because it isn't always bad or difficult, and the rewards seem even sweeter then. Without mountains, a valley is just flat land.

Barbara

 

[Robo410]

sounds good, and Verablue, I don't think your daughter has wasted anything of her two years...all that will come to good use...either in the kitchen or front of house, as personnel or customer relations, you name it. And if she goes for a BPS in culinary or baking, some core courses may be transferable.