Stay in law school. You'll end up earning far more money as a lawyer than as a chef. Yes, cooking is rewarding and fun, but most people get into this field with blindfolds on thinking that after graduating from culinary school, they will be hired on as an executive chef at some 5-star restaurant. Sorry, doesnt happen that way. Although I don't know what branch of law you are studying, my friend just graduated from law school majoring in criminal law and is now a county prosecutor earning 65K a year. Compare that to the average starting wage of a chef out of culinary school earning $10 an hour working 60 (or more) hours a week. Even with the overtime (which they tax the **** out of you for) you end up with a bi-weekly salary of about $1000, or about $24K a year. 65K (basically sitting in court all day long) vs 24k (standing on your feet for 60 hours a week)= become a lawyer. My friend also has a passion for cooking and after he graduated from law school and found a good paying job, he attended culinary school on weekends, and graduated within a year and had the income required to start up his own private catering operation. He only does weekend catering and only operates as a private chef for small private parties (maximum 10 people). However, he only offers high quality, premium foods for a generally wealthy clientel (many who work in the law profession) and he averages about $1000-$1500 per weekend, with only working about 3-4 hours a day. That combined with his salary as an prosecutor, he earns about 120K a year. So his gets the best of both worlds. His passion for law and cooking. Plus with his income, unlike many chefs who rent a $500 condo each month, he owns a 1 million dollar home and, unlike most chefs, actually has been on a vacation. So my advice: Law School first, Culinary School second. I wish I would have done that fresh out of high school.  |