Advice For An Aspiring Chef

I've almost completed a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology, but all the research internships and projects I've taken part in have taught me that I do not want to be a psychologist. Instead, I began thinking and searching for things which I was really interested in, and the one that popped up again and again was cooking.
However, I've got absolutely no "official" experience in it; no job experience, no culinary education beyond what I read myself.
So my question is, what are good steps to take to begin acquiring a background in culinary arts?
If there are any professional chefs out there who read these posts, how did you begin your careers? What were your first steps in becoming a chef?

By Cheftim (Cheftim) on Saturday, November 25, 2000 - 11:50 am: Edit

Trevor,
Take a little more time and read the posts in the Wannabe forum here at WebFoodPros.com. There is a wealth of information about becoming a chef, schools, experience vs school, more than can be put in to one post or one thread.

By W.DeBord on Saturday, November 25, 2000 - 05:26 pm: Edit

I'd read as Cheftim sugests but I'd like to add you can "get a feel" for what the work is like by taking a part time job in any food enviroment.

Most of the posts you'll read here are from people who have decided the culinary profession was where they want to be. You sound rather unsure (because of lack of experience and knowledge in this field), therefore I think before you look into schools or any training you should go out there and try ANY job (part time is fine) to get the insight needed to determine if you want to enter this field. You can totally love cooking and have a keen interest in this profession just as you were interested in psychology yet not like the daily aspects of working in this field etc... so I say test the waters before you invest time or money.


Then if you find this field interesting the posts will help you determine what path to take to become what you want to be (chef, manager or server).

By JMH, CEC on Tuesday, November 28, 2000 - 11:18 am: Edit

Cooking is fun and the industry has been good to me. You will find out in very short order if you are meant for the Biz. I feel that if you are not a "natural" you will not get far. Despite all of the pride, stardom, and repect you may experience there are as many pitfalls connected to what we do. Be aware of the long hours away from your family, high rates of divorce, working most holidays, and missing out on the things most people do the weekends, all of this will be a part of your life.