I am in culinary school major is Baking and Pastry, and I will get an Associates degree when finished. However what we are doing in school has nothing to do with cake decorating, that would help me open a cake studio. I need advise from you all....Do I finish school and continue taking classes on the side (gumpaste, etc.). Or do I quite school, take all the extra classes around the area and just go work at a bakery for the expierence, then open a studio. Do you think an associates degree wil help or really make a difference in the industry?
Thank you in advance for any and all advise.
Professonal credentials never hurt. Any education you have puts you one-up on other people in the field. Talent will come with experience, but on top of that, you'll have the degree to back it up. When I look at websites of cake designers, I seem to view the culinary-educated ones as more legitimate (and I can say this fairly because I don't have any culinary degrees (just a Psychology degree). Stay in school. Get your associates degree, at least. When you open your business and write up your bio, what is it going to say? "Self-guided hobby turned into business"? A background in the field is very, very valuable. Best of luck in your ventures!
I own my own shop and am self taught but I wish I would have discovered that this was my passion earlier because I wish I would have attended culinary school. When you finish with school I reccomend you work for someone else for awhile. My husband and I worked in the restaurant and bakery business for awhile first. Our theory is make you mistakes on someone elses dime first and then open your own. When you go to finance your own venture you will education and experience to help the bank fee more comfortable in financing you venture. Take this time while you have it to soak up as much education and experience. I wish I could go back and go to culinary school.
Noooo, don't withdraw! Stay in school and get your degree!! Don't pass this up while you have the chance to do it. If you can, also try and get a job in a bakery. Take other classes not offered through the school. Good luck!
Stay in school!! I have my culinary degree, and no we didn't do very much when it came to cake decorating, but there are other things you will learn. Even for baking cakes, you need to learn the basics!! You'll also learn sanitation practices and they may even offer courses on starting a restaurant. You just adapt what you have learned for your cake studio. DON"T DROP OUT!!!! It was an excellent experience for me. I didn't do it until I was 24. I wish I had started out there rather than putting 6 years in at another college and hating what I was doing!!!
It never hurts to have a degree either - and the possibilties of contacts through your instructors!
PLEASE STAY IN! You will enjoy it!!!
Thank you all for your advise - maybe I should have been more detailed in why I want to leave - I am wasting $40,000. Cash that I am paying - which is 1700. every month - I am also at the end. I have gone through the Culinary Writing, Culinary Math, and Platting Design, in addition to Sanitation. I am already ServSafe Certified I scored a 97 on my test. Taken cost control and supervision. Had Basic and Advanced Baking and Basic and Advanced Culinary. The issue I am having is that we are being taught enough to open or operate a business effectively. They are trying to produce line cooks, which I am not okay with - that is fourty thousand that I could invest into something else - like a business. My main concern was a Culinary degree - does it really make a difference. I see a lot of comments on here that say they operate with out a culinary degree. I am taking courses outside of school - and I am a Wilton Instructor - so I am also teaching. I just don't feel like school is going to be enough to be sucessful in the long run.
Alright - that is my spill.
Thanks for listening.
See if you can PM PastryPuff girl, she is/was a culinary arts student with an emphasis on pastry. Hopefully she can give you some advice or maybe another avenue you coulf pursue...
I went to school for Culinary Arts degree. And even though I'm still paying for it almost 2 years later in stundent loans it was worth every last dime. I'm not currently working in a bakery but have in the past and my past employers seemed to like the fact that I had some form of education to back up my experience. I'm going back in a couple of months to complete my Pastry degree and I can't wait. I hope this helps.
Well, the culinary degree won't make a difference on opening a business. You should have a business plan for that. But if you feel that you have taken all that you can and won't get anymore out of it - then maybe you should stop. You certainly don't want to continue with the classes and hate them. That's counterproductive. Get certified where you can and usually some of those courses come as a certificate program, so get the ones that will be useful to you. I know I just flip-flopped on what I said, but after what you stated, I think it changes how to perceive this situation. All I can suggest is go with what you feel is right. If you really believe you are wasting your money on more classes then don't do it. You won't be happy throughout the rest of the classes since you think you'd be better off doing something else.
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