Culinary school: too little bang for the buck?

[Jenise]

Apparently the U.S. government is going to crack down on for-profit culinary schools because of the mounting pile of ex-students who find they can't pay back the student loans on $9 an hour. The schools have flourished and multiplied in recent years, flush with kids who, impressed with our new chef-as-celebrity culture think that restaurant cooking is a yellow brick road of sorts for those not inclined to go to a real college for a different kind of education. These schools have flooded the market with Top Chef wannabes who don't have, and don't get from the schools, realistic expectations about the job market. A TV commercial for the Le Cordon Bleu outfit I've seen up here has a bunch of friends gathering at the house of a guy who made something tasty for a party: like a reverse intervention, the friends pump the guy's ego and insist he's missing a huge opportunity.

Here's an interesting article about the situation, with even more interesting comments from readers. I didn't read all the way through, but I read enough of them to see that not one responder (most of who have been to or are going to such a school) defended either the schools or the career choice. Instead, their collective message is: run away!

http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/17/do-culinary-schools-get-chefs-jobs/

There is a lot of truth in the entire picture. I know that in the past 10 years, so many of the Culinary schools have had major enrollments. The dreams of becoming the Top Chef and the magic behind the Restaurant and Food business looks so good (on TV).

My son graduated from the French Culinary School in New York City. He graduated as top in his class. The class had about 18 students. They keep in touch with each other from time to time. That was almost 8 years ago, and only 3 of those graduating students are in the Restaurant/Chef/Catering business. I believe one of the things that make it so hard is that these new students are thinking upon graduation they will be landed some top notch Chef jobs (as promised by the schools). Well, they do land some good jobs, but for so many its at the bottom of the chain, the lowly person working in a restaurant getting all the dirty jobs to do. So many get frustrated and leave to find other occupations.

I think anyone considering this type of career needs to review two things:
1. Iron Chef
2. Anthony Bourdain's book: Kitchen Confidential

Somewhere in between those is probably what most can expect