I am thinking to change my career

[alchi]

Hi there...

I need an advice...

My name is Julius, I have an MBA in finance. I work as an accountant.
I have a big passion about cooking. All am thinking is cook. After 8 hours more working, when I got home what I am thinking is cooking. I enjoy read recipe books before goes to sleep like reading a novel and think what should I cook tomorrow. I have been collecting recipes, experiment with them and attend couple courses. I am thinking to take my passion about cooking seriously like enroll in a culinary school. Above all I am so afraid, how if turn out that I am not a good at this? how if I am just make a fool of myself? consider my age, maybe is too late to change career at 32?

Anybody that have experience the fear of changing the career?

Julius

[RAS1187]

If your heart is really in it go for it. I would suggest working in a kitchen (any one, even applebees) for a little bit just so you can get a taste of what to expect. If you make a huge financial dedication to a school, then realize that this industry is something you are having doubts about, youre kinda stuck.

I mentioned this in another post. My tone is not meant to be discouraging, I just really want people to know what they can expect before they commit. If a restaurant closes at 11pm, plan on staying until 12 or 1 cleaning, every night. Plan on surrendering weekends, and I would rule out spending mothers day (as well as most other holidays) with family.

If your passion is truly with food, and after getting your feet wet, you still believe this is the industry for you, then I would investigate schools and decide whether or not the financial commitment is for you.

Age should not stop you either, one of my instructors did not begin cooking until he was in his late 20's. He was in a totally unrelated industry until this similar passion awoke in him, and he yearned for this industry. Since then, he has worked as Sous Chef and Executive Sous Chef at several top Chicago restaurants including TRU and Brasseire Jo.

Keep in mind that you probably won't be capping an accountant's salary until later on (if ever).

[Suzanne]

Dear Julius --

You are not alone. If you read through the threads on this board, you will find that many others are in the same position as you: full-time careers but a passion for cooking that they would like to turn into a new career. Read through, and you will learn a lot.

If your passion is great, and you truly want to learn, you will not make a fool of yourself. You might make mistakes as you learn (we all do), but that is all part of learning.

The advice RAS1187 gives you is good: before you commit to school, find a place where you can work part-time to see what it is REALLY like. To be honest, a lot of kitchen work is boring drudgery: the same prep every day, stretches of waiting, cooking the same dishes over and over again. Remember that professional cooking, for most of us, is not creative, but repetitive. BUT: when the rush of orders comes in, there is nothing as exciting in the world!

Know also that the money you might make as a starting culinary professional will be much, much less than you earn now. If that will cause hardship to you and your family (in addition to the costs of going to school), it might not be a good move for you to change careers. But there are other things you could do with your passion: you could work as a controller or even (once you know the business) as a general manager of a restaurant, or in the finance/accounting department of a restaurant group or company. No, you would not be cooking, but you would be closer to what you love -- and sometimes a restaurant will involve ALL the staff in critiquing menu items and suggesting new ones. With your business background, you could make an important contribution to a restaurant's business.

Another thing you could do if it would be too difficult to give up your current salary: take as many classes as you can (professional or not) and, if you have the other skills, become a cooking teacher in your spare time. You would be using the skills you love, AND helping others.

Just so you know you can trust what I'm saying to you : I was 47 when I went to a professional restaurant school, and I also had an MBA (in management, though). I had no other experience than cooking at home, and occasionally catering group functions. The school I chose to attend was very good (but expensive!) and gave me a good grounding in technique, ingredient knowledge, and various international cuisines. At school, I worked part-time in the stewarding department (that ordered and received all the food used in the classes, and set up the supplies for each lesson). For my externship, I worked in one of the best restaurants in New York City -- and that opened many doors for me when I started to work after graduation. I worked in restaurants, ran the kitchen for a food manufacturer, and did some consulting to a start-up manufacturer. I'm not in kitchens any more, but I still use what I learned in the work I do.

So: if you really want to follow your passion, there are ways you can! Never worry about how you will look to others; what matters is how much you can learn, and how you use what you learn. Read other threads here, and keep in touch.

[mtcantor]

I am going through the same situation. I am a year away from graduating law school and have decided its not for me. I have a job in a french restaurant and I am loving it, but its terrifying at the same time. All of the advice I have gotten is the same: once you know this is for you (and you need to work for a while in a real kitchen to know it) then you should not let your fears and worries stop you. You will always regret not going for it.

[alchi]

To Suzanne and RAS1187, thank you so much for taking your time to reply to me and give me a good advice.

Best luck for you guys.

Julius

[IWishUponAFish]

I just responded to a question from Loueperella in a different thread, but much of the same advice stands here. I've spent the last several years in the "real world" mostly doing what seemed the smartest thing rather than what I actually wanted to do. I'm not so passionate about cooking that I'd want to leave and be a chef, and I don't know for certain exactly WHAT it is that I want to do, but I can tell you you'll never be fully successful, never mind totally fulfilled, unless you're doing what you love. And for that matter, if you're doing what you love, you'll never work a day in your life, because you can wake up in the morning and do what you're passionate about until you go to bed late at night without feeling miserable about keeping away from your calling.

Money is always an issue, and you need to try to sort that out for sure, but don't let yourself be roped in due to financial constraints. If this is what you want to do, do it. If nothing else, your existing profession gives you an edge as far as forecasting and figuring out what you need (financially) in order to be able to maintain your current quality of life, or what you need to give up (materially) in order to live with different financial arrangements. There are a lot of things that just aren't necessary, and if you have the support of your family (or if you're single) then you can make darn near anything work.

Keep a cool head and don't rush into anything, but don't hold yourself back because of what seems the "right" thing to do, or because of what other people have to say. Other folks can't die for you, there's no reason to let them live for you either.
Best of luck, Julius!

[alchi]

for IWishUponA and Fishmtcantor thanks again for the useful advice.

Julius