Culinary Education

Why Now Is The Best Time To Go Into Culinary School

There is no question that the food service industry is a growth industry. With over 13 million employees nationwide, it is one of the largest private sector employers in the nation. On top of that, the national industry is expected to add an additional 1.8 employees over the next decade with employment reaching 14.8 million employees by 2018*. Many of those new jobs will go to Las Vegas food service professionals.

Impressive numbers, but does that mean you should enter culinary school and pursue a career as a Las Vegas chef? As usual the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Becoming a Las Vegas Chef with or without the Numbers

Before going into a strict analysis of the numbers and statistics, there are other questions to ask.

Why?

Why do you want to go to culinary school? Are you following in someone’s footsteps? Are you looking to get any degree to get your parents off your back? Or do you have a real drive and commitment to succeed in the culinary arts? Whatever the reason, if you are doing it for yourself and the goals that you’ve set for yourself, your chances of success are much higher.

What?

What are your goals? What do you want to do in your chosen profession? Sous-chef? Pastry chef? Executive chef? Owner of your own restaurant? Again, be clear about what it is you want to achieve. That focus can help enable you to use a culinary degree and kitchen experience to achieve your goals.

How?

There are a lot of hows: How do I apply and get in? How will I pay for it? How can I work and still pursue my education? How will all of this pay off? Fortunately many culinary schools recognize the difficulty implied in these questions and are creating options for a variety of student needs. They include financial aid for those who qualify, part-time and online study, and career service assistance that can help you pursue the right job for you.

Where?

Where will I go to school? This is no idle question. There are as many reasons to choose one school over another as there are students attending those schools. Choosing a school that serves a city or region that you can envision yourself as an active member of the food service industry can help you maximize your culinary school experience.

Only you can determine if now is the right time for you to enter culinary school. If you can answer these questions with a degree of confidence in your decisions then it doesn’t matter whether the numbers analysis is favorable or not.

This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Las Vegas. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Las Vegas offers Le Cordon Bleu culinary education classes and culinary training programs in Las Vegas, Nevada. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/Las-Vegas for more information.

The jobs mentioned are examples of certain potential jobs, not a representation that these outcomes are more probable than others. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Las Vegas does not guarantee employment or salary. Le Cordon Bleu ® and the Le Cordon Bleu logo are registered trademarks of Career Education Corporation.

From the National Restaurant Association - http://www.restaurant.org/research/ind_glance.cfm. This is a national estimate that refers to all levels of positions within the culinary industry.

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