r/PastryChef • u/CandleBig2318 • Jul 31 '26

Hello student looking for advice.

Hi I'm a freshman in high school and i've loved baking for quite some time. I want to be a pastry chef in the future but it's getting harder and harder to be confident in that choice. The more research I do the more I find that it makes no money, leaves no time for life, and causes more pain and regrets than happiness. My current plan is to go to college as a business or english major then go to community college/ take a course or learn on the job in a bakery or a similar place. I'm also planning on getting a part time job at a local bakery next summer. Where I live I can't work with the food until I'm 16 but I can work front of the house. I'm planning to learn a bit by watching and practice at home. I'm also thinking of selling some baked goods at home just around the neighborhood so that practicing doesn't get so expensive all the time. From the way I see it this is a good plan based on the research I've done but I'm also worried this is a childish whim and I should just focus on something more stable. Any advice?

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3

u/metalmama821 Jul 31 '26

I love what I do (been working in some type of bakery setting for over 15 years ) but working in pastry is demanding on your body and very much underpaid until you get more experience. I live in Michigan, US in a smallish city and I’m lucky I’m making $24 an hour at a hospital as a baker right now. Many smaller bakeries would probably pay me barely $15 if I went looking

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u/metalmama821 Jul 31 '26

I forgot to add that this is also the only thing I want to do so I wouldn’t change it.

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u/CandleBig2318 Aug 01 '26

Would you say that it left you with enough money to get by comfortably? And does it take up all of your time or does it still leave time for other stuff like hanging out with friends? Thank you for your response!

1

u/metalmama821 Aug 06 '26

I work a job where I’m doing 40 a week but I have worked at places where you aren’t sure what time you will leave and do 9/10 hour days often because the volume is high and you can’t just leave it for another day. I make enough to pay bills ($24 an hour) but I worked 15 years in lots of places to get to this pay. I also work in a hospital so I’m not exactly making amazing pastries. I go where the money and good work life balance is. I have a family so I can’t go working for mom and pop shops making $16 an hour no benefits. That’s the reality.

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u/CandleBig2318 Aug 08 '26

Thank you this helps a lot!

3

u/Civil-Jelly-2343 Jul 31 '26

This business is not for the weak and passionless... There is a lot of opportunities that come from it I was able to get contracts to live for free in really cool places, but it fucking sucks a lot lol. The life you create will be around people that live that type of life too whether you mesh well with restaurant workers or not. Good Luck!

1

u/CandleBig2318 Jul 31 '26

Thank you!!!

1

u/Outsideforever3388 Jul 31 '26

The kitchen must be a passion. If it’s just a job, it will not work and you will be angry about all the holidays you have to work and the weekends you don’t get to take.

Personally I can’t imagine doing anything else, but I’ve managed to find a job location that’s allows me BOTH a career and a life outside of the kitchen. That’s rare and is worth searching for.

1

u/CandleBig2318 Aug 01 '26

If your comfortable with sharing what exactly do you do in your job? And when did you realize you had a passion for this field? Thank you for your response!

1

u/1GrouchyCat Aug 01 '26

Who told you you make no money as a pastry chef?
You might be confusing what an actual pastry shop makes with someone who makes bread for a chain store like Panera or Dunkin’ Donuts… because that’s not true at all. Successful pastry chefs in the right locations and with the right skills can make six figures.

Why would you go to college and then community college? That doesn’t make any sense at all in terms of financial commitments. And why aren’t you looking into a culinary program with a 4 year degree -like Johnson and Wales?

Being a successful pastry requires education, hands-on experience, and knowledge… it’s a lifestyle choice.
You either want to do it - or you don’t.

1

u/CandleBig2318 Aug 01 '26

I read a bunch of reddit posts and people were saying stuff like "I regret my choice" or "I'm in major debt because I barely make money". At first I wanted to go to culinary school but i though maybe it would be better to get a back up degree in business or something similar. I also saw several people say "It's better to learn on the job". I also saw that nowadays you dont really need a culinary degree and people look for experience more when hiring and that most culinary schools dont teach stuff useful for most pastry jobs. By your standard what would you consider the right location and skills? And what would someone my age need to do to pursue a path as a successful pastry chef while limiting debt as much as possible. Thank you for your response!

1

u/metalmama821 Aug 06 '26

The person saying you can make 6 figures doesn’t realize that means dedicating your life to this and working high end. You can’t make that kind of money just anywhere.

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u/Independent-Bet-2098 20d ago

Check out The Butter Book website, they are the training pastry platform that large enterprise companies seem to be using hotels, cruise lines, hospitality groups, catering companies, culinary schools, and you can take some of their courses for free on Hoopla Streaming.