[chefdee]

I am graduating out of culinary school on Saturday and I am scared now. I ask myself what am I going to do now. Where I live I pretty much worked all the places i could. My excuse fro not traveling right now is i don't have a dependable car... as lame as that might sound it is true. I don't want to worry if i am going tomake it to work okay every single day. I guess all I am looking for is is it hard to find a job after you are done school. I knwo it is real world time no more homework no more classes it is full time job time and i am ready but where? Did you guys have jobs coming right out of school or were going through a dry spell too? Please someone tell me that it is going to be alright .

[chiffonade]

Which school did you attend? Didn't they offer you placement after graduation?

Do you live in a city or a small rural type area? If you live in a city where there are subways, you may not need a car to get around. If you're in an area where things are spread out, you better start looking for a car. Telling a head chef, "my alternator fell out" is going to get you in deep $hit with your boss.

Don't be afraid - understand however that the transition from a controlled school class atmosphere to a functioning, frenetic restaurant kitchen will be a difficult one. You will gain speed as you learn the "flow" of what happens in the particular professional kitchen in which you land. After some acclamation time, you'll amaze yourself at the speed you'll develop.

Bear in mind that culinary degree or no culinary degree, you will likely start in anyone's kitchen by peeling potatoes or making tomato flowers, etc. The hierarchy of a restaurant kitchen is achieved step by step and respect must be earned. Culinary education got you the building blocks on which to begin your career from an educated standpoint. But experience in the practical application of all you've learned will get you respect.

[annie]

Since you're just north of me - I know you'll be having a lovely day for it.

Chiffonade had great advice. I've been looking in the Boston area, and the one thing I've found helps is experience, any experience. Your home location isn't THAT big - and besides many restaurant jobs have hours that make taking public transportation impossible.

Can you work at anything for a while - and either fix, or buy a used car? We looked for a car for my son, and lucked onto a reliable, cheap 10 year old car from a co-worker - the first used car we'd ever bought where the owner shed a tear tosee it go, rather than cheering when it made it out of the driveway!

All the best of luck - let me know if I can help.
Ann