Hi everyone, I'm new to the board although I have browsed here very occasionally.
Anyhow I graduated college with a degree in business and management, and am currently attending law school. I can't say that I'm dissatisfied with law so far, but at the same time I keep thinking that before I continue and dump a ridiculous amount of money into law school I should make sure this is something I want to do, or there is nothing I want to do better. Which is what brings me to this forum.
Cooking is something I have always enjoyed although I have not found time to do it very much in the last 5 years or so. Also throughout my life I have toyed with the idea of being a chef but never took it seriously. But it did always sound fun to me. Being older and a little wiser I now realize that I'm sure being a chef isn't all fun times or like when I would cook dinner for my family, but for some reason I always find myself drawn to it anytime I think about changing careers or considering other paths I could take in life. But I also have not been filled with a burning desire to be a chef all my life like a lot of people on this site seem to be.
The thought of being a chef appeals to me, but of course the problem is I have absolutely no food service experience, even waiting tables, and I really do not have any advanced cooking experience either. I can make basic stuff, and I can do a few mildly complex dishes or baking, but I know several non-foodservice people who's cooking skills far outweigh my own.
So as I slowly feel out other career options when think about trying a career in culinary arts I find it both daunting and exciting. For the first time in 8 years I would be doing something I have absolutely no idea whether or not I would be good. Maybe I wouldn't have the sort of artistic creativity needed to be a good chef, or maybe I just wouldn't have the sort of coordination necessary to pull it off. The point is I'm very apprehensive even thinking about it, since the skills used would be those I have never used before with the possible exception of multi-tasking or mangement.
Anyhow I've looked at culinary schools and whenever I read or browse sites about that I immediately get excited and the thought of just learning how to cook and learning all these new skills immediately appeals to me. But it would be extremely foolish to even apply to the CIA or some place without knowing what the job is really like. What I would need to do is try working at a restaurant for 6 months to a year and see what if it were something I would really like to do, and then go to culinary school to pursue it. But even working part time I couldn't really do that at this point unless I were to leave law school, which I'm definitely not going to do for at least another semester. But if wanted to start getting into the culinary world waiting until I graduate would be unwise since I would then have almost a house-worth of debt to pay off. So it's kind of a catch-22, but I am starting to seriously think about how I could get some experience before I do anything rash.
Sorry about this huge rant, but I just wanted to get it off my chest and see if anyone has been in any similar situations.