Posted by Gina on April 10, 1997 at 08:58:09:
In Reply to: career change? posted by Heatherann Cundiff on April 03, 1997 at 19:38:43:
: Hi everyone,Here's the deal: I'm 31 and thinking of a career change. I'm currently a registered nurse working in an I.C.U., so I know about long hours, heavy lifting, hard work, and most of all STRESS. I will be attending career exploration for a week at C.I.A. later this year. But, I have tons of qustions. 1) Am I too old to start this? ( I hear you have to be in the kitchen twenty years before you can start to THINK about calling yourself a chef.) 2)Am I good enough?(I have NO experience of any kind in a professional kitchen. But I'm not exactly a dabbling hausfrau. Got the KitchenAid Pro mixer, in cobalt blue. Everyone raves about my cooking, but that's a far cry from chef - maybe I should just stay home impressing family, coworkers and the occasional stranger). 3)Are most chefs backbiting prima donnas?(I have an awful lot of those in my current job, so I'm sure I could take it, but it certainly isn't any fun). 4)Are those black and white checked pants for real? (And I thought nurses' uniforms were awful). 5)Cooking schools(What are the primary differences, are there some to avoid at any cost? I've gotten info from C.I.A. and Johnson and Wales. Pros/cons? Where else should I consider?) Etc.,Etc., Etc. This is something I've been thinking about for about five years and am just now starting to seriously look into. I can come up with as many reasons to talk myself out of it as into it. Husband says he'll support whatever choice I make, :) so he's no help in making up my mind. Any help with this mess would be greatly appreciated.
: Thank you in advance
: chef wannabe
: H.A.
Just Do It!! I'm 33 years old and started a part time culinary arts program in September of 96 and it was the best thing I've ever done. I am a production manager for a weekly newspaper and have no food service experience at all but I've always loved to cook. I think school is a good place to start. I go to school on Sundays for 8am to 6pm and we cook (and clean) all day! It's alot of work but I love and I know it is what I want to do. Will I ever be a famous or not so chef? Who knows, but I think it is important to do what love.
Gina
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