Qualifications

Qualifications

No matter where you're baking, experience, not flour, is the key ingredient. How do you get experience? Well, put away your schoolbooks for the time being, because experience as a baker doesn't mean more school.

In fact, we hear that some bakeries prefer to take their interns and trainees with as little bakery experience as possible, so that employers don't need to undo bad habits.

If, for some reason, you really, really love school, you might consider taking nutrition and food science courses at local community colleges and culinary school to learn about retail sales, sanitation, staff training, and management.

Above all, you need practical baking skills, not degrees or credentials. You can beef up your baking chops with on-the-job training as an intern or low-level employee at a local bakery. That's where you’ll learn how to work under pressure in a kitchen environment. Work hard, ask as many questions as you can, and start chatting up other bakers in the area.