Dan Abel wrote:

> What concerns me is his statement about "level that I'd be at after
> attending one of these programs". My understanding is that right after
> you get out, this diploma is worthless as far as money and
> responsibility. My understanding and experience is very limited, and
> doesn't apply to your coast. Still, you ought to check this out. The
> people who run kitchens don't like culinary academy graduates.


From what I know (what people in the bizz tell me) that's pretty true...many
consider that culinary school grads haven't "paid their dues" career - wise.
They generally will have more respect for someone who worked their way up
from the bottom (waitressing or washing dishes...), culinary school grads
are somewhat derided because many have an "entitlement" attitude - and such
an attitude is lethal in the food bizz.


They
> will attempt to give you the same level of responsibility and money as
> the kid who just fell out of high school with no idea what to do, except
> earn enough to buy food and pay the rent.


You are spot - on...

I know any number of culinary school grads who are still making ten bux or
so an hour. And the jobs that they have (salad prep, pantry person, etc.)
won't even allow them the luxury of paying rent unless they have roommates,
in their 30's 40's they are still living like college students on a strict
budget (median rent for a small one - bedroom apartment in the Chicago metro
area is about a thousand bux per month, on either coast it's higher; you
could I 'spose work in smaller burgs but that ten bux an hour would probably
be TOP pay in such places).

--
Best
Greg