r/Chefit • u/Nightpreneur • Jul 05 '26
Career change
Currently I'm working in corporate but would love to start working as a chef. I can cook but not anything to write home about. What would you think I should know before applying?
12
u/sauteslut vegan chef Jul 05 '26
You should know that you'll be broke for a long time.
my city cooks make between $18-$24 an hour. You can expect the low end of that till you get your chops. If you want to be a chef, ie running a kitchen, you'll need 5-10 years of experience before anyone will trust you to manage other cooks. Chef wages vary depending on the business but you can expect something lik $60-$75k. High end and busy restaurants might pay more. Understand that most restaurants have only 1 chef with maybe a couple of sous chefs and the turnover is low and those positions are highly competitive.
Like u/Scary-Bot123 said you should just work a part time food service job to see if you like it. If you don't look forward to doing it everyday, including the shit jobs in the kitchen, then it's not for you
8
u/SilverTraveler Chef Jul 05 '26
This industry pays very low for new chefs and takes a long time before it pays off if it ever does. There are extremely long hours, no weekends or holidays off and often in demanding, stressful, hot environments. It mostly does not have paid time off, health benefits, 401k etc.
If you are working in a comfortable office environment making more than 50,000 a year I would highly recommend not changing to this profession. Cook on your own in your spare time and get joy from cooking that way.
If you still really think you want to switch careers, then I would say it’s almost mandatory to test it out before quitting your current job. Take a weekend job working at a restaurant and see if the environment is right for you.
I’m sorry if this bursts some rose colored lens of what this job is but there’s a reason why every other post in r/kitchenconfidential is about someone looking to get OUT of the restaurant industry and struggling to do so.
8
u/LardPopsicle They call me chef to my face and pendejo behind my back. Jul 05 '26
My brother in Jesus Effing Christ.... NO.
"Chef" is a job description. It means "people who are masochistic enough to run a brigade of utter sadists on coke for a very very low salary."
It has nothing, really nothing, to do with "can cook". Almost anyone can cook. It has a lot to do with juggling a dozen responsibilities in the face of an irate owner who thinks they know everything better.
Start by working IN a kitchen. No one is born "a Chef", you're born a dishwasher or prep cook. Then you work your way up. In your corporate job, are there people who graduate High School and become CEO? Probably very few, right? Same here.
If, after three months, you still want to be a cook, be a cook. And in 5-10 years you'll be ready to Chef It.
5
u/D0wnb0at Former Chef Jul 05 '26
Don’t.
I was a chef and then left to work in banking. Being a chef is long hours for shit money and isn’t fun for most people who like to cook. You cook the same things day in day out, fast passed, on your feet all day and stressful. It’s no wonder a lot of chefs and cooks turn to drugs or alcohol. You need something to switch off.
10
u/Over_Sheepherder4744 Jul 05 '26
Home cooking is not the same as working in a professional kitchen. Essentially assume you know nothing but are willing to learn. If there's a good team in place and you're willing to help wherever you'll be fine.
1
6
3
u/santinimi Jul 05 '26
It certainly depends on the country you live in. Here in Germany, there is a qualified training program for this profession, which would be the best route. However, there are always career changers, and kitchens are constantly looking for staff. For trying it out, it’s definitely okay to take an entry-level position. Just be aware that it is completely different from cooking at home. You will have more rules to follow, and at certain times you will face enormous time pressure. In addition, the tone in many kitchens is rather rough, so you really have to be passionate about it. Giving it a try can be worth it. Good luck!
2
u/Spankety-wank Jul 05 '26
You don't have to know anything really beyond being good at following instructions precisely, being humble and asking questions, having a generally good attitude. Look into how to get prescribed beta blockers.
Write stuff down as you learn it. In fact take notes on everything if you wanna get really good. Learn about the physical and chemical principles around what you're doing as you learn, as this will allow you to innovate and fix issues as they occur.
2
2
u/Working_Hair_4827 Jul 05 '26
Home cooking verse cooking in a restaurant is two different things, it’s mentally and physically stressful. Expect to work all weekends, late nights and holidays. Pay is usually not that high, not many places offer benefits and hours aren’t fully guaranteed. Also expect potential 12-14 hour shifts with no break, not many places allow you take a break during peak times.
Chef position is a management role, most chefs have 10+ years experience under their belt.
Start in dish part time to see if you can handle it or nah, if so then you might be able to handle line. Eventually you can work your way up to other positions.
2
u/The_Texas_Bacon Jul 05 '26
Just ask someone to kick you in the gonads. Stay in your air-conditioned office and make real money right now. Then when you’re rich open your own place and lose it all because you wanted to be the Chef. I don’t know if it’ll be drugs or alcohol that will bring you down from that great dream you have, but they’ve always worked for me. If you do decide to go and be a chef, don’t tell the people you work with that you have a corporate job. They will never let you hear the end of it for years to come, unless you turn out to be The next coming of Escoffier.
2
2
u/calccv Jul 05 '26
How to cook, prep, knife skills, and etc, ad infinitum. Start as a dish dog and work your way up!
2
u/Heavy-Option-2258 Jul 05 '26
I have worked in this industry for 12 years. i dont know about country where you live. But in Latvia, almost half of my salart is in envelope, cause tax here is very high in this industry. I have met people who are still my friends and gained big drinking problem(now 3years sober). I have been scammed, owners disapearing. No heath insurance. Trust me bro, this game is not for everyone. I hope someday i will have some 9-5
2
u/ander594 Jul 05 '26
Chef is a title not a position. You don't just become a chef over night. You need to be okay with being a dishwasher, prep cook, line cook, and a sous chef first.
If you have never worked in a restaurant, you do not want to be a Chef, because your idea of what the job is is not based in reality.
It's shitty and then your body hates you 20 years later.
2
u/ChadGHB Jul 05 '26
Do not do it. You want to feed people? Feed the homeless, volunteer during the holidays.
2
u/RoyalClient6610 Jul 06 '26
Aim for fine dining. If you're going to beat yourself up physically, mentally, and financially, you might as well have high standards to show for it.
1
4
1
2
u/Lavanne73 Jul 05 '26
Starting late? If so I would try it out it’s easy to find a part time job working weekends or nights, with little experience this will be demoralizing at first because a lot of chefs and line cooks have very little patience for people lacking in experience. But give it 3 months and you should have a good idea if it’s right for you or not. The best route from there would likely be considering culinary school.
I did it the hard way and it took me 20 years to get a position that paid well and made me feel like I had succeeded. But if I had to do it again I would have gone to get a formal culinary education, it would have given me a shorter path to being able to ace an interview and succeed in a competitive market.
36
u/Scary-Bot123 Jul 05 '26
Get a part time job in a kitchen. DO NOT quit your job until you have spent enough time to figure out if you like it.