A frequently asked question raised by many aspiring chefs is:
"How can I fast track my progress, and get to the top quickly?"
The short answer is: attend a college course or a course provided by a cooking school and get certified at the end of it. There will be readers who will raise the inevitable counter argument to this and say:
"Wait a minute....why bother studying at college/culinary school and have to stress myself out about having to pay the expensive tuition fees when I can simply get a job in a restaurant/hotel kitchen and simply work my way up?"
Obviously, there are both advantages and drawbacks associated with each of these two methods and the choice of method that you decide to depend on will be contingent upon your personal circumstances.
Yes, attending a college course can be expensive, will require a lot of studying and will take a few years out of your life to complete and not all aspiring chefs are able to keep up with the stringent demands imposed upon them by the rigours of academia. However, whilst the college route may seem like a long way to take a shortcut, it should be regarded as more of an investment in your future success and career opportunities as opposed to a waste of precious time and money.
When you study cooking at college, this means that you will be exposed to every aspect of cooking, such as the proper preparation and handling of food, as well as
basic food hygiene, which will stand you in good stead whether you choose to work for yourself and establish your own business, or seek employment. Because you have already got experience and knowledge of the foundation aspects of cooking, this means that you will be able to jump a few rungs in the pecking order allowing you to enter into mid level of the promotion scale as opposed to the very bottom of the pile.
The drawback with the college route is that it is costly and time consuming and scholarship/funded places are limited indeed.
If you are thinking that the alternative route, i.e. getting a job in a kitchen and then working your way upwards is an easier solution, think again. Whilst the turnover rate for the hospitality industry is extraordinarily high, there has been a significant number of cut backs and reduction in employment levels due to the current economic climate.
Irrespective of which of these two methods you decide to rely upon, if you want to really stack the odds firmly in your favour, make sure that you actually get some relevant work experience as this will not only give you an invaluable, first hand perspective into the culinary industry, but it will also impress any potential employers in the future. If you want to work with the best then you in turn have to be the very best that you can be, so make sure you match your ambitions and enthusiasm with experience and commitment.
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