What Do I Want To Be When I Grow Up?

Submitted By kateedye
Words: 747
Pages: 3

What Do I Want to be When I Grow Up?
When thinking long term, I do not see myself working as a cashier in retail, like I have in the past; I envision so much more. I dream of being successful and enjoying going to work every day. I desire a career in the field of culinary arts, and that does not mean fast food. Although I am not an incredibly skilled cook or baker, yet, I plan to become one once I have graduated from cooking school. There are so many options to choose from in the food industry; I just have to decide which one is best for me and my family. I could work as a cook in a restaurant almost anywhere. There are numerous job titles available such as the head chef, the sous chef, a line cook, who helps the prep cook prepare entrees with other line cooks, a grill or fry cook, a breakfast cook, who only comes into work to prepare breakfast menu items, and a pastry baker, who takes care of desserts and other pastries. To be in the position of head or sous chef, which is what I would like to do most out of all the options, I would have to have prior culinary experience, and although I will be getting that from school, it won't be enough. I could try starting out as a line cook, helping others and learning the feel of a real restaurant kitchen for a few months to a few years; it may not be my dream job, but everyone has to start somewhere.
To be successful in the culinary arts industry, I would not absolutely have to work in a restaurant. There are many other options available; for example, working as a personal chef for a family would be very intriguing. A personal chef sometimes works with other cooks, like in a restaurant, but the atmosphere would be entirely different. Although working as a personal chef is not technically a twenty-four hour job, the responsibilities do not end after dinner. The chef must live with the family and attend their culinary needs at all times. The families who hire personal chefs are usually very wealthy, and with wealth, comes a luxurious lifestyle. When the family travels and expects to stay gone long, the personal chef is sometimes expected to come along and prepare their meals like normal. Because I have a family, this particular job would not work for me anytime soon, but I am keeping it in mind for the possibility of having free time someday, when we are all much older.
A particularly neat career path I could take in the field of culinary arts is working as a pastry chef in my own little shop. It would take more schooling and hard work, but to own my own bakery would be awesome. I would be my own boss. I would be able to decide what