Monday, June 29, 2009

Culinary Jobs & Careers

Career Center - by Get Degrees Staff

A career in the culinary arts is about much more than simply cooking. It’s about aesthetic presentation, personal service, and business savvy. A culinary arts degree puts you in a position to take advantage of a welcoming job market and multiple, exciting career paths. Here’s more on an industry with flavor.

Culinary Jobs & Careers

The culinary arts degree combines the principles of cooking, creativity, and consumerism into one dynamic education. Culinary arts degree programs can be accessed at technical and vocational schools, colleges and universities around the globe. They vary in depth and breadth, lasting from several weeks to several months of focused instruction. In a standard culinary arts degree program, you’d be learning about safe food handling procedures, nutrition guidelines, and advanced–delicious–cooking techniques. While formal education is not a requirement for entry-level positions, employers frequently prefer advanced training for choice positions in the kitchen and dining room.

Earning a culinary arts degree places food, service, and research at the center of your career universe. Just a few of the challenging roles that culinary graduates are qualified to accept include:

• Baker
• Bar Manager
• Cereal Chemist
• Cheese Maker
• Chef
• Cook
• Dietician
• Drink Mixer
• Executive Chef
• Food Nutrition Consultant
• Food Preparation Worker
• Food Scientist
• Food Service Manager
• Head Cook
• Kitchen Assistant
• Nutritionist
• Pastry Chef
• Personal Chef
• Private Household Cook
• Product Developer
• Restaurant Manager
• Short Order Cook
• Sous-chef
• Waiter/Waitress

Culinary Arts Career Profile: Training and Certification

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a favorable hiring market for culinary arts degree holders in the coming decade. In fact, employment of chefs, cooks, and food preparation workers is projected to grow by 11 percent from 2006 to 2016. That’s about as fast as the average for all occupations, with a projected 351,000 new jobs. Also, employment of food service managers is projected to increase by 5 percent over the same statistical period. Full-service restaurants and food service contractors, like caterers, should provide the most opportunities for new graduates.

A few of the defining trends that may influence the hiring environment for culinary arts degree graduates include:

• An emphasis on highly nutritional, sustainable, and organic food sources
• The demand for new food products and services across multiple industries
• The introduction of new restaurant start-ups and a reestablishment of franchises
• A rededication to the principles of traditional farming practices

Culinary Arts Career Recipes

Those who desire to reach the top rungs of the culinary ladder should know that the American Culinary Federation (ACF) accredits more than 200 formal academic training programs. These programs combine a formal classroom education and meaningful kitchen experiences that result in industry certification. The ACF also has sponsorship opportunities for students looking to enroll in international degree programs.

Some of the larger hotel and restaurant chains offer their own proprietary training and placement programs to new candidates. These opportunities are sometimes preferred over traditional degree programs because of the nearly non-existent cost of attendance, but competition can be fierce. A two-year culinary degree works well as a knowledge base and sets you apart from other applicants.

Culinary Arts, Meet Capitalism

The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in the culinary arts industry. Catering start-ups that focus on a particular dining niches can do especially well–think weddings or company outings. Restaurant financing is not always easy to get in a tightening economy, but the Internet has increased the reach of fledgling catering companies looking for immediate success. For those that do make it, the business operations and management aspects of a culinary arts degree program comes in quite useful.

Whichever direction you choose to go in the culinary arts industry, a degree is a great place to start. Take those career plans off the back burner, and start cooking up a culinary arts degree today.

Kelly Richardson
Kelly C. Richardson, MEd is a freelance writer, marcom consultant and digital entrepreneur. He’s written content for Fortune 500s Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft and Wells Fargo. Find out more about him at kellyrichardsoncopywriting.com.

Chefs, Cooks, and Food Preparation Workers • Dec 18, 2007 • http://www.bls.gov • http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos161.htm • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Food Service Managers • Dec 18, 2007 • http://www.bls.gov • http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos024.htm • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics