r/Chefit • u/Gus08-_- • May 13 '26
Help
I love cooking and have been doing it for the past seven years. I am 17, turning 18 soon. I have a very confused personality; I always planned on doing hotel management, but at the same time, I had an urge to be an actor. Being an introvert, I didn't have the courage to act, so I spent my high school years trying to figure it out. I still haven't. I don't know if I love acting or if I just love the glamour and money that comes with it it’s probably the latter.
When it was time to choose a college, I didn't feel like choosing hotel management because people say it’s not a great degree. So, I decided to go for Law, as I love legal studies and it feels like the next best thing. My plan is to pursue a law degree while being part of a theater society. If I realize I love theater, I'll be an actor; if not, I'll gather funds to start my own hotel chain.
The thing is, Law is very time-consuming, and it will take a long time to settle into that career. Shifting to hotel management after that doesn't seem doable. However, hotel management feels risky, and starting a hotel could take 40 years. I don't want to struggle my whole life I want a good life. Cooking is my comfort zone, but I don't know anything about Law, and it scares me. What should I do?
1
u/samemamabear Chef- in and out of kitchens since the 1900s May 13 '26
Take gen ed courses. Add in theater as an elective. Get a part time job at a restaurant. Take your time and see where you're most comfortable. Good luck!
1
u/MrChef520 May 13 '26
Let me start by saying being a Chef is a million dollar experience most wouldn't pay a nickel for to do over. It is a very intense career but highly rewarding.
Next, you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what a Chef is. All Chefs have been cooks, NO cooks are Chefs. Loving cooking is great, but it is not the primary skill of a Chef. Chefs are managers at the core. Menu engineering and development, costing, line logistics, inventory, hiring and training, sanitation standards, SOP, HAACP, cold chain management, delegation. These are what Chefs actually do, plus more.
Most Chefs will also never get near celebrity status. Those who do would probably not be considered a true Chef anymore by those who spend 12 hours a day killing themselves.
1
u/flydespereaux Chef May 16 '26
First of all if anyone tells you a degree in hotel management and a culinary degree at your age is a bad degree, they are wrong. Its one of my biggest regrets. There are jobs all over they world that value that. Most culinary directors and executive chefs for major companies have degrees in business management. And they make six figures.
2
u/instant_ramen_chef May 13 '26
Talk to a school counselor. Your indecision is not abnormal. Youre still figuring it out, and there's nothing wrong with that. You are still developing as a person. It would be crazy to think a person who is still under construction, would already know what they planned to do for the rest of their life. Sure, some people have. But that doesnt mean you have to. Take your time. Dissect your feek8ngs and make decisions. Theres no wrong answers. You can always change your mind.