Jobs for the Major
How this major affects a job search
Want to become a chef that hosts shows on the Food Network and makes millions? This could be the perfect academic track for you. Even if you don't want the limelight, culinary arts training is the best way to get your foot in the door of the food industry. However, training in the culinary arts won't prepare you for much outside of the world of food.
You can't exactly Julienne-cut anything other than food.
Your professional field is much smaller than many other college graduates. While there's some flexibility with other degrees, culinary arts students are almost all funneled into food…metaphorically speaking. You won't be eaten. Hey, come back.
That means that the twenty-three-year-old with a degree in history probably has a better shot at getting an office or teaching job than you. This should come as no surprise, but just in case it is, take a few breaths and sit down. We'll wait.
Culinary arts is for people that are passionate about food. Your training can open up possibilities that business students would salivate over but wouldn't have a shot at achieving. For example, while those mechanical engineers are stuck in an office all day using CAD, you can be sailing all around the world as a billionaire's personal chef. Maybe.
Hey, you can dream, right?
Common Career Fields
Baker. This should be an obvious career path for anybody who studies culinary arts. Baking is one of the most important parts of food preparation—if not for the delicious bread, then for the amazing cakes. From quaint patisseries to grocery store bread producers, bakers serve up freshly prepared goods that remind us how taste buds are supposed to react to food. You can be that person who brings a loaf of freshly baked sourdough to a dinner party or whips up a no-reason coffee cake at work. Everyone loves that person.
Caterer. Catering and high-end dining are generally on opposite ends of the spectrum: five-star restaurant meals are small and highly visual and the catering business mainly focuses on feeding a lot of people. Although an appealing meal is still something caterers aim for, they mainly need ensure there's the appropriate amount of food on a large scale. This is a great option for people who enjoy traveling, since caterers go to each event they cater. Just make sure you know how to get your money.
Cruise Ship Chef. Speaking of travel, what better way to see the world than getting paid to do it? Working as a chef on a cruise ship means you can visit different countries and experience new cultures, all while living the dream of being a chef. You can sample local cuisines from Alaska to Argentina, and maybe even incorporate them into your own cooking style. The only downside is dealing with seasickness…and perhaps a little cabin fever. But you'll always come back to a tidy room with your bed made and your towels folded up like swans, so really, what's a little vomit in the grand scheme of things?
Food Service Management. Let's say you complete your culinary training, but find you prefer the hustle and bustle of managing a restaurant more than actually preparing food (why?). Thank goodness for food service management. These professionals oversee all aspects of the kitchen, but they can still avoid those hot oil burns and sharp knives. Try to avoid going on a power trip in this position, however, because disgruntled cooks work with a lot of heavy and sharp utensils…
Food Stylist. If you've ever looked at the front page of a magazine and wondered how in the world a sloppy Joe could look so amazing, the answer is: food stylists (and Photoshop pros). That's right, people are actually paid to produce and arrange food that looks above and beyond what food would actually look like when it arrives on your plate. (Hey, that's advertising for ya.) These are the people that understand the contrast between the red of a bell pepper and the purple of an eggplant, and they know which type of lettuce will really make that burger pop. They may even paint or glue on a few details to get the food looking just right for the perfect shot.
Nutritionist. Understanding how to prepare tasty food is one thing. Understanding how to prepare tasty food that is good for you is quite another. More and more, people are placing a premium on healthy eating, and that's translated into the restaurant world. People want their low-calorie, organic, vegan, gluten-free, paleo meals…and they don't want them to taste like dirt. A nutritionist with a background in the culinary arts would not only know the healthiest foods to recommend to their clients; they'd also know the tastiest.
Executive Chef. Want to be top dog in the kitchen? An executive chef, or chef de cuisine, manages the entire kitchen, from payroll and food costs to personnel and creating the menu. But you aren't going to waltz out of school and right into an executive position. You'll likely have to work your way up from being a butcher, line cook, or fry cook to a more senior position like a pastry chef, saucier, and sous chef. If the executive chef decides to move on to another opportunity, the sous chef might—just might—have a shot at moving up. (That's if the restaurant owners don't decide to hire another executive chef to take his place.) It's a chef-eat-chef world, Shmoopers. Only the best of the best make it to the top.
Current unemployment of the major
7.3%Percentage of majors who get a higher degree after college
11%Stats obtained from this source.