[GTanny]

Hi,

ill introduce myself first;

My names Gary, im 23 and live in the North East of England and to put it short i wanna change my career path and become a Chef...

the problem i have is im a 23 year old engaged dad of 1 with a 60+ hour a week job, a mortgage and other multiple bills to pay.

does anyone have any advice into the best way for me to change careers???

Im a very keen home cook, and i understand there is a big difference between a good home cook and just a basic good chef but i honestly believe i have the passion to make that step.

ive wanted to be a chef since about the age of 12 but in my rush into employment went into my other interest - Science, which i know isnt a perfect background but i honestly believe it is similar in some positive ways as there is a lot of prep work a lot of accuracy a lot of working under pressure and a lot of routine which with 6 years now into the job i must admit im good at.

my interest in cooking came initially from my uncle who had served as a chef in the RAF for 10 years with many great stories including cooking for the queen & family as well as many other "important" people. when he died a few years ago i inherited his chefs book which is very indepth on many things and has been a great help in me picking up advice as a home cook.

anyway back to the point!

im very determined to become a chef as its already getting to me that i feel made the wrong decision when it came to getting a job and i feel that if i stay like this i will always look back and regret not pushing myself into ideal career.

thanks for reading and for any advice given, im greatly looking forward to reading it.

Regards

Gary

on a side note financially i need to be in a stable position and require not to lose to much (preferably none) of my income to fund this venture as my daughter and finances wellfare comes before anything else.

[Mezzaluna]

Welcome, Gary! It sounds like you have a tough row to hoe. I suggest you seek answers to your career change questions in the Professional Chefs' forum, as this forum is for mostly for introductions. Also, some chefs from the UK could see your post there and give you a good answer within the context of your location.

Having said that, I think you'd do well to do some searching on this site with our search tool. That could show you discussions from previous years, which could also be helpful. I hope you take some time to explore the whole site (articles, blogs, etc.) and enjoy interacting in the forums.

It's nice to meet you!
Mezzaluna

[Focus]

Hey, I'll be moving to New England this fall. Totally new to the area, so I'll definitely want to compare notes.

See you around,
Focus

[Focus]

wait, I just saw that you're from "the northeast of england"

Not the northeast of the US which is New England - my mistake


Cheers,
Focus