Is cooking school worth the money?

ANYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT CULINARY SCHOOL?

• dont have to read my story just my questions. *STORY ON HOW I GOT IN TOO COOKING* i never know i had a Passion in cooking,till i was in a after school program called ALL-STARS! in the 6th grade,i joined home ech,i just fell in love with food and how you can make a simple plate just look amazing!then i moved to a different town,in 8th grade i joined home ech again(it was a class not after school program),and was a student aid in that class too. i Proceed in my dream to become a chef.i applyed for Southeast Career Technical Academy studying CULINARY ARTS I & II,and still trying to reach my dream** and now i wanna join Le Cordon Bleu here in las vegas,once im out of high school in 2years in s.e.c.t.a,and once im out of le cordon bleu im planing to go to The Culinary Institute of America in new york also known as C.I.A,im still looking for a 3ed culinary school(more like 4th culinary school becuse of Southeast Career Technical Academy) ,i want the best out of the best.I want! to become a chef in a casino. QUESTIONSQEUSTIONS!! (sorry for my typos) *Le Cordon Bleu questions* I BEEN TALKING TO MY CHEFS ABOUT Le Cordon Bleu AND HOW MUCH IT WILL BE FOR ME, IT'LL BE AROUND $16,500 FOR Tuition AND $2,550 ON FEE'S.Total:$19,050ish WONDERING IF THERE'S ANY SCHOLARSHIP'S YOU KNOW OF THAT CAN HELP ME OUT? IS IT WORTH IT $19,050?i mean its alot of money. *The Culinary Institute of America questions*(C.I.A) MY CHEF WENT HERE TO STUDY,HAVEN'T SPOKEN MUCH ABOUT THIS TO HIM,I KNOW ITS A GREAT SCHOOL IN NEW-YORK MORE LIKE A BOOT CAMP(so i heard) DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT IS? WHAT C.I.A CULINARY ART SCHOOL IS BETTER THE ONE IN NEW YORK? ST.HELENA,CA? or SAN ANTONIO? HOW LONG ARE THE CLASSES AND IF YOU KNOW THE PHONE NUMBER,please that will help out alot. AND FOR THE 3ED(4th,i don't know why i dont call S.E.C.T.A a culinary school) i made a list of all the culinary schools i liked,well more like,that i know of hahah.anything you know about them? -Professional Culinary Arts -The Art Institutes -Culinary Arts Management -Art of Cooking OTHER QUESTION (lol im sorry) should i just stick to culinary art schools or take a class on Baking & Pastry Arts or Wine, Spirits & Beverage Management or also Culinary Arts Management? im done c: yaayyy! lol

• Answer:

  Ok.. sweetie. You want to be a chef, yes? You want to cook, yes? Good. Now, the question for you is, who do you want to work for? You don't have to go to an Ivy League school or Harvard to learn how to cook. Going to prestige cooking schools paying them >$20,000 to get that diploma/certificate is good, but is it good looking on your wall or are you actually going to use it for something? Majority of people whom are chefs, not only learn how to cook through school, they are more EXPERIENCED. You don't have to have a PhD in cooking to make a good meal. You have to have experience, you can gain experience many ways besides from school, and employers prefer experience over many other things. Unless you want to cook for the Queen, a local community college or a decent university that offers a culinary certificate/degree would be just fine. Once you graduate, GO TO WORK. Start small. Get experience, learn new things. Cooking is best when it's hands-on and in the real world. And the reason why I say start small, you will change your mind about your majors many times before you settle one something you want to do for the rest of your life. Even if you believe that you really want to do this right now. Take your time. Think it over. Also, the school is not the problem, the issue is whether you can afford that school. If yes, power to you, go for it. But if think that ~$20,000 is too much, then yes, it is too much for culinary. I'm just giving you my opinion. Don't be fooled out of your hard earned money.