Do I Need a Degree to Become a Chef: Will it Help Me in my Career?
Graduating from culinary school seems like such an accomplishment -- yet ask random people about whether culinary school is necessary, or even a good idea, and you'll get a wide range of responses. Much of the advice you'll hear is from people who are far removed from their beginner days, when finding a culinary job would have been much more difficult for them. The truth of the matter is that culinary school is definitely helpful, and if you have little professional cooking experience, it can be a wonderful way to jump into the field in a safe environment created specifically for learning.
Why is it important for chefs to have formal training?
Formal training -- an educational program with both classroom time and kitchen lab time, and real-world externship experiences -- ensures you'll have the core knowledge that all chefs need. You'll start with the basics and be introduced to a lot more than you would if you simply worked your way up in a kitchen.
If you just get a job at a restaurant with no or little culinary knowledge, you'll start in a very basic position and have to consciously make the effort to learn all you can about how the cooking is done in that restaurant. You won't get the wide-ranging education that you would in culinary school unless you kept moving on to different restaurants. At culinary school, different teachers and classmates introduce you to varied communication and teaching styles which is a plus when you hit the job market and need to adjust to your new employer's personality quickly.
Culinary school programs are configured to move you from basic to advanced knowledge in a specific amount of time. You're not left hanging out as a dishwasher for a couple of years until an opportunity at another station opens up and gives you a chance to learn more; you learn first, and then you can deal with job advancement after you have the skills you need. Formal training also teaches you the whys of the things that are done in a kitchen, so you're not bothering other co-workers and asking why basic techniques are done the way they are.
What are the benefits to getting a degree in the field for someone who wants to make a career out of cooking?
When you leave that school, the employers you contact should know that you have a certain level of knowledge. You're likely already certified in food safety, and you have the discipline to work in a commercial kitchen. Formal education really is pre-job training and not just book learning; those who hire you will know that they won't need to train you on basic knife techniques, for example. When you leave that program, you should be able to walk into a restaurant kitchen and get to work with little adjustment.
What are some of the things a student learns in culinary school that are important?
Culinary school gives you the knowledge of terms and techniques that you need to have even a basic level of success in a professional kitchen. It gives you that common vocabulary that restaurants and other food-service institutions use. You should gain experience working collaboratively in a kitchen setting, and you should learn kitchen etiquette. Formal culinary education also ensures you learn about budgeting and non-cooking issues like personnel matters, seeking out suppliers, and handling customer service.
And it's those non-food topics that really stand out. If you go straight to work in a kitchen without any culinary experience, you're not going to get lessons in the administrative side of running a restaurant unless you take extra time to learn on your own.
Are you ready to learn how to be a chef? At ECPI University's Culinary Institute of Virginia, we offer an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts. For more information on this exciting program, connect with a friendly admissions professional today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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Gainful Employment Information – Culinary Arts - Associate’s
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