how long did it take you to make a living wage?

[damack]

ok now i understand that i have lived off of 800$ a month but over time
after culanay school i dont want to make 8-10 for ever.

how fast do people clime up the ladder,

chefs that make 40k-50k how long did it take for you to get there?

i know that evey one is different but i just would like some examples of how fast some people move up.

[Chad Aaland]

I personally haven't yet, but it all depends on you. The harder/faster/cleaner you work along with how talented and creative you are, the faster you move up.

[AngeliaB]

culinary school is just like any other college settting you pay alot for a degree then you must get out and work your way up.

Some people are lucky and very talented and can get a good job right out of school but some are a little more mediocre or for one reason or another just dont get the BIG sweet deal right out of school so they have to work a bit harder.

In the end its all in how you apply yourself, and how much your willing to put in for the long haul.

I graduated culinary school in new york and immediately moved to texas and found a great job right off. one reason being that i was very specific on what i wanted from my employer. no less than 15 an hour and a 40 hour week with room to grow and learn every area of the job. I found someone who liked my initative on what i was looking for and they hired me. now in getting that job i had to take i little bit of a lower pay but in the end working at the facility i am has given me great oppurtunity to meet others in my business and has put me in an area of growth because now i do personal cheffing for some of the doctors i work with.

i am not the 'best' cook nor am i a very artistic person but i work hard and apply myself and that makes people like me so i get noticed more for my intuativeness and dedication to work ethic. I also use that to my advantage and it makes me look really good.

so in all this what im saying is its not always about being the best and getting the big job right out the box BUT if you apply yourself and put yourself out there, someone will notice you and give you the sweet deal.

hope this helps you out

[RSteve]

Originally Posted by AngeliaB

i was very specific on what i wanted from my employer; no less than 15 an hour and a 40 hour week with room to grow and learn every area of the job.

Originally Posted by AngeliaB

now in getting that job i had to take i little bit of a lower pay but...

And this is on what planet? You write that you're right out of a trade school, not very creative nor a great cook. You dictate that you only will work 40 hours a week and want $30K plus yearly to start.

But you took a little bit lower pay???

[AngeliaB]

i worked in the restaurant industry for 10 yrs before going to culinary school and i hired myself out as a personal chef after school to get more experience.

what im saying is that i am not exactly FINE DINING material but what i can do i will do well and with a good attutude and a good work ethic i have been able to achieve alot in a short time.

and yes i asked for 15 but i got 13.75 an hour not bad considering.

i applied myself and was very straigtforward in what i wanted in an employer and the chef that hired me told me that he liked that about me so i take that as a sign that i did well.

so you see what im saying is im not the 'BEST' in the field BUT i am willing to give it all i got to get where i want to be in my career.

[damack]

there is no question with me if i will give it 100% im just wondering about every ones time line and how there doing.

my girlfriend has said she dosent want to suport me for the rest of my life. and im ok with doing OT and working very hard. i have been working in a kitchen for 5 years already and i love it.

and i know a lot of people dont do this for the money they do it because they love it. thats the same thing as me but i also need to suport a family after a while.

just wondering how long it take the average person to get to a decent wage

[RSteve]

Originally Posted by damack

just wondering how long it take the average person to get to a decent wage

If you are "average" a "decent" wage may be inaccessable. You must be far above average to succeed. AngeliaB wrote that she was in the food industry for 10 years, went to culinary school, and took a job for $13.75 an hour.

About once a week, I treat myself to a 1/4 pound hot dog at Costco's fast food counter.(Shhhh...don't tell my wife, she'd kill me before the cholesterol does.) I like to chat with the young beauty who dishes up these delicacies. She's been there just over a year, heating hot dogs, Polish sausages, and pizza. I asked her in a joking moment if this paid better than McDonald's. She replied that she just got a raise to $12.00 an hour. Hmmm...ten years in the food industry + culinary school = $13.75; a year out of H.S., no training, grilling dogs and pizza = $12.00.

What's this about a decent wage?

[damack]

i understand that with unions like the one that costco has people can make that much very easily, that has nothing to do with growing in the industrey.i have been working in kitchnes for 5 years and am about to go off to culanary school this summer, im really excited.

[RSteve]

Originally Posted by damack

I understand that with unions, like the one that costco has, people can make that much very easily. that has nothing to do with growing in the industry.i have been working in kitchens for 5 years and am about to go off to culinary school this summer, i'm really excited.

I wish you great success. But never, ever settle on being average. Pick a specialty and be the best!

[AtlTournant]

"my girlfriend has said she dosent want to suport me for the rest of my life. and im ok with doing OT and working very hard. i have been working in a kitchen for 5 years already and i love it."



Well,OT is not always available.When you're in the big,bad corporate world,chef is going to be telling you to get off the clock at 37.5 hours because his/her bonus can be based on how much OT they saved on that fiscal year.OT can be one or three times a year for a few precious days or weeks.
Who picks up the extra hours? The salaried [and exhausted] sous chefs.

Salary can bite you in the butt,too. They own you and your time at that point.
There are some weeks I make more than my pastry chef does simply because I am not locked-in to a specific amount per week, with unlimited hours.
70 hours a week with OT makes it worthwhile.70 hours at the same rate of pay if you worked a 20 hour week can make you incredibly frustrated!
Depends on who you're working for/with.I walked away from sous/partner position with 10% profit sharing and about $15,000 more than what I make now,but with about $15,000 worth of headaches and crap to put up with there.
Why? Because money isn't everything if you're not HAPPY.

[AtlTournant]

Originally Posted by Chad Aaland

I personally haven't yet, but it all depends on you. The harder/faster/cleaner you work along with how talented and creative you are, the faster you move up.

Ah,if it were only that simple and easy! Not always.Some days,you can bust your butt and YOU are the only one who is going to pat yourself on the back.
I have plenty of extremely talented chef friends who could tell horror stories about being the only one in the kitchen who really put forth effort and did not get any recognition,money,etc.
Why? Because they weren't involved in the politics or refused to smooch the butt of an arrogant chef or they became the person who was just "expected" to be the best in the kitchen because they'd pick up the slack.
Sometimes rewards come,sometimes they don't.It depends on the situation.

[AngeliaB]

Originally Posted by AtlTournant

Ah,if it were only that simple and easy! Not always.Some days,you can bust your butt and YOU are the only one who is going to pat yourself on the back.
I have plenty of extremely talented chef friends who could tell horror stories about being the only one in the kitchen who really put forth effort and did not get any recognition,money,etc.
Why? Because they weren't involved in the politics or refused to smooch the butt of an arrogant chef or they became the person who was just "expected" to be the best in the kitchen because they'd pick up the slack.
Sometimes rewards come,sometimes they don't.It depends on the situation.

that is my point right there. ok so im making 13.75 an hour but you missed something there in what i was saying... that is my base pay. i make an average of 16 an hour a day depending on the hours i choose to work.

is it the greatest job in the world?? no because i would probably choose to be in a restaurant if i could but yes it is the best job because im allowed to grow and try to things and come up with new dishes every day which i would probably not be allowed to do if i was in some ones restaurant.

am i in a top restaurant?? mm no

do i enjoy being around the people i work with?? yes

am i allowed to be creative in any way i choose? yes in fact my job is my own i set and do the area of the cafe how i choose i prepare all the desserts i choose to prepare as long as the chef see and tastes it and is ok with what im doing i am left alone in my area. i am not supervised or stood over to make sure that i am doing what they want me to do. I do what i want to do. If ther is something in the kitchen that we dont have but i want to use it to make some new dish then the chef is very willing to get it for me.

bottom line is this..

im happy i love my job i am not making huge sums of money but im happy and i love the food i get to work with every day. I AM DOING WHAT I LOVE. and to me that is worth more than all the money in the world

[RSteve]

Originally Posted by AngeliaB

im happy
i love my job
i am not making huge sums of money but im happy and i love the food i get to work with every day.
I AM DOING WHAT I LOVE. and to me that is worth more than all the money in the world

At some point, AngeliaB, you'll come to the realization that, yes, it's very important to enjoy and value what you do for your life's work, but it's significantly more important to make enough money to comfortably support a family; unless, of course, you don't plan on having one.

[Chad Aaland]

Originally Posted by AtlTournant

Ah,if it were only that simple and easy! Not always.Some days,you can bust your butt and YOU are the only one who is going to pat yourself on the back.
I have plenty of extremely talented chef friends who could tell horror stories about being the only one in the kitchen who really put forth effort and did not get any recognition,money,etc.
Why? Because they weren't involved in the politics or refused to smooch the butt of an arrogant chef or they became the person who was just "expected" to be the best in the kitchen because they'd pick up the slack.
Sometimes rewards come,sometimes they don't.It depends on the situation.

I realize that. That's the position me, another cook and a sous chef are in right now.

[AngeliaB]

Originally Posted by RSteve

At some point, AngeliaB, you'll come to the realization that, yes, it's very important to enjoy and value what you do for your life's work, but it's significantly more important to make enough money to comfortably support a family; unless, of course, you don't plan on having one.

i live alone right now and i am very comfortable with what im making. And dont get me wrong i do not plan to stay at this job for the rest of my life, only for a solid year and a half maybe. I just moved to dallas and the cost of living is so cheap here that my earinings more than cover what i need for right now. Im just saying that i really enjoy the job i have at the moment because its allowing me to grow more into my cooking skills.