choosing a career in culinary arts?

Asside from what you mentioned comsider" Time spent with family or lack of time"" What it takes out of you.promotion possibilities. Pensions 401 Ks benefits. Many things to consider like in any job.

"Enjoying making difficult dishes alot" and a career in the culinary arts don't really mesh together.  There's a HUGE expanse of experience and experiences that you're going to go through before you even get a chance to work on "difficult dishes". 

You're going to have to do simple dishes over and over again.  

Consider the likelihood that you won't make $30K/year for roughly 5 years. 

Overworked, underpaid, physical labor in uncomfortable conditions.

Social life?  Forget about it.

Family events?  Many will be missed.

These are just realities for a very high percentage of people in this industry.

If you don't love it, don't get into it. And I mean, LOVE it. Try it for a year, if it doesn't grab ahold of you go find something else. This business takes too much out of you to do it because you don't know what else to do.

We are underpaid, but you'll always have money. The hours are long enough that even making $10 an hour you'll still make a wage good enough to pay your bills. I wouldn't expect to work less 60 hours a week, and don't expect vacations or days off whenever you feel like it. Chefs and cooks do what they do because they love it and have a passion for it, we don't do it so we can make money to go on vacation next year. It is a lifestyle, not a career. Oh, and even if you go to school, don't be some entitled jerkoff who thinks they deserve the higher position or the higher pay. Go to school to get the knowledge, but still start from the bottom of the hierarchy. Learn everything you can from everyone you can.

One reason the above is true is because you work so many hours you have no time to spend any of your money.

That is the best part for low pay off in this business :D But yeah, surely like they was saying if you dont really love this, dont even try it. Maybe, you should go working for 1 months to some restaurant, and really think about it. Ask, ask, and try to get information. Then you can think, do you really want to be in this position and learn for many many years. I`m now been workin 1 year, in this business. And for real i can say still, that i loved this. Even, when i say, that i hate it. I love it. 

These guys are giving some of the Grim Realities but there are up sides as well...It is Never Boring, the Time passes quickly, plenty of Cute Servers to date, you never go Hungry, there is a huge variety of Styles of Food and Cooking, and if you are into Ecology there is huge growth in Farm to Table and Sustainable Food Production...JJ 

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyJ 

These guys are giving some of the Grim Realities but there are up sides as well...It is Never Boring, the Time passes quickly, plenty of Cute Servers to date, you never go Hungry, there is a huge variety of Styles of Food and Cooking, and if you are into Ecology there is huge growth in Farm to Table and Sustainable Food Production...JJ 

Never date with a server IMO. :D But yes, ofc there are good things too. I think no one could hang on this business, if there aren`t.