My situation is not particularly unique, but after searching for a number of hours through different forums across the web, I am still unable to guage what my jobs expectations should be after completing culinary school. I'm 23 and about to attend Orlando Culinary Academy in February. I have been working in the service idustry for over 5 years now. Like most everyone, I started washing dishes, worked my way up to busboy/server/bartender then cross trained as a line cook. My first job on the line was in a mexican restaurant where I did not really learn all that much about cooking, but did learn what it was like to work on a line (bad pay, awful hours, stress). I loved it. I soon moved from rinky-dink Lafayette, LA to New Orleans to attend college.
In NOLA, I was a bartender at a college bar until a massive category 5 hurricane demolished it along with a good chunk of the rest of the city. After most of us were able to live in the city again and the restaurants were back up and running, TONS of job openings were available. I took a great waiting job that I would never have gotten before Katrina at one restaurant and then got a great cooking job at a fine dining Italian restaurant with far less than the normal required experience. They were happy just to have someone who could speak english and filter a frier. Because of the situation at the Italian restaurant, they forced me to learn A LOT in a very short amount of time. I have since moved back to Lafayette and have continued to work as a line cook and occasionally a server(we all need money) for a few years. My point to all this rambling is that I actually have experience in the industry. So my question is: After I complete my culinary training, what is my next step? What should I expect? Do I just go back to being a line cook for 8-10 bucks an hour or should I look for higher pay or a better position (I can already work grill/broil and sautee stations in high volume)? What kind of restaurants/hotels should I look for to work at?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I would really like to understand what if anything changes for me after I take this step(and borrow more money).
In NOLA, I was a bartender at a college bar until a massive category 5 hurricane demolished it along with a good chunk of the rest of the city. After most of us were able to live in the city again and the restaurants were back up and running, TONS of job openings were available. I took a great waiting job that I would never have gotten before Katrina at one restaurant and then got a great cooking job at a fine dining Italian restaurant with far less than the normal required experience. They were happy just to have someone who could speak english and filter a frier. Because of the situation at the Italian restaurant, they forced me to learn A LOT in a very short amount of time. I have since moved back to Lafayette and have continued to work as a line cook and occasionally a server(we all need money) for a few years. My point to all this rambling is that I actually have experience in the industry. So my question is: After I complete my culinary training, what is my next step? What should I expect? Do I just go back to being a line cook for 8-10 bucks an hour or should I look for higher pay or a better position (I can already work grill/broil and sautee stations in high volume)? What kind of restaurants/hotels should I look for to work at?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I would really like to understand what if anything changes for me after I take this step(and borrow more money).
