Is culinary school a scam?
I am trying to find a career and I was looking at culinary school. I told my friends this and they all told me not to. They claim it is a scam and I might as well burn my money over a fire. Is this true?
I am trying to find a career and I was looking at culinary school. I told my friends this and they all told me not to. They claim it is a scam and I might as well burn my money over a fire. Is this true?
Comments
The scam comes when you compare your earning potential to how much you will actually earn. I m in Portland Oregon, here we have anywhere from 5-6 culinary schools pumping chefs into the market...Luckily there are a few food cart and restaurant jobs available. The scretch comes when you go to look for a job and all you can find is a job that pays $10 an hour and a loan debt of up to $30,000. Save your money. If you want to explore career paths, take on a trade, join a labor union. The pay is the same, about $10 per hour but there is opportunity for growth and the harder you are willing to work at learning the knowledge for your field the faster you can progress money wise. It s great knowing how to cook, but it s even nicer being able to afford those foods.
Before you go to culinary school, I would suggest getting a job in a restaurant working in the kitchen. You don't need to go to culinary school to chop vegetables, which is the first job they'll give you. But you'll see what really goes on. And when you get out of school you are not going to become a top chef - at any restaurant you'll still have to start at the bottom and work your way up
Too many people think they can go to school then end up as head chef of some Michelin starred restaurant or get their own TV show. That's not the reality at all. A friend who went to the Culinary Institute of America got a job in a top restaurant after graduating, but she was still chopping vegetables as a prep cook for the first 6 months until they moved her to one of the cooking stations.
So find a local restaurant and try working for a few months to see if it's even what you want to do
Of course it's not a scam. How do you think people become chefs?
You should go to one with a good reputation, though, and not just any college. Especially not the for-profit degree mills like Devry, Everest, Art Institute, etc. I don't even know if they offer culinary arts, but any school you have ever seen a TV commercial for should be avoided in general.
No, not a scam at all....how do you think people become great chefs and such? It is just a rough career choice unless you have a lot of determination. It isn't an easy job and also isn't easy to find a job. But of course it is still education and you're still getting a degree. Don't listen to your friends it is certainly NOT a scam. Best I can say.
no, culinary school actually teaches many different things to do with cooking, flavours, and technology. They also have culinary courses in college you can take. But the best way to find out if it is a scam or not in your area is to find out what it offers you when you pass. What diploma it gives you.