I'm a 27 female, I adore cooking and I'm seriously thinking of attending the P/T Baking & Pastry program at Peter Kump's in NYC at the tune of $17K. Currently I work 9-5/m-f for a decent salary and wonder if, upon graduation, I'll be able to support myself and my mortgage.
Like I said, I love the field but I do have to be able to survive. I have also heard that being a woman in any culinary profession makes for a difficult time and the time on the job is insane...any advice/inside info would be MUCH appreciated before I make this drastic career move. THANKS!

There are lots of threads here that cover and recover this.

If your mortgage is small and you can live on $8 an hour (or less) for a few years consider it.

Forget the concept of family time, 9/5, weekends off and holidays.