I am an economics student at a four year school, and I believe I would like to take up cooking as a profession.

My only experience so far, has, unfortunately, been as a short order cook. While this job bears little relation to real cooking, I was wondering if the experience has any bearing what so ever on working a real line. Are things like being able to remember 5 or 6 tickets at a time, being able to stand over a yard of flat top for hours on end, and conquoring the fear of 400 degree peanut oil important to professional cooking? I am simply trying to get a feel for what this expierience will net me when it comes to working in a real kitchen.

Also, I went and offered to work for free at a couple real resteraunts in my area as a prep cook; how beneficial is this? In order to work at any of these I would have to give up all of my income, and travel several miles a day on foot or by bike. Is it worth it at this stage, or should I wait and enter a culinary school before attempting to get a job like this?