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**jenny_seitz**
Hey Jenny,
I wanted to ask you about your job. You posted that you are a pastry chef. I hope you don't mind answering some questions for me. I've been in limbo about my next education/career move for a long time and have started to seriously consider baking/pastry school. I have a background in graphic design and would like to be doing something creative, so I've started to look into this path (I've been out of GD since '06). It seems like the schools only offer certificates and associate's degrees for pastry.
a) Would you encourage me to go into the industry?
b) What does your typical work week look like?
c) Is the payoff (salary/benefits) worthwhile for the work you put in?
d) Do you think a certificate/AAS is enough to get anywhere in the industry?
Thanks so much,
Lisa
Re: **jenny_seitz**
EDIT... this ended up REAL long... sorry.
Sorry I didn't reply ALL weekend! I didn't spend much time on the computer. We were actually productive! Feels pretty good, too! HAHA
So anyways... I will try to answer your questions as best I can.
I wanted to ask you about your job. You posted that you are a pastry chef. I hope you don't mind answering some questions for me. I've been in limbo about my next education/career move for a long time and have started to seriously consider baking/pastry school.
I actually didn't go to baking/pastry school though... gasp! I went to culinary school. There was only one school in the Dallas area that offered a baking and pastry program at the time I chose to go back to school, and I did not want to attend that particular institution. So I settled for culinary school but took EVERY baking and pastry class I could get my hands on!
I have a background in graphic design and would like to be doing something creative, so I've started to look into this path (I've been out of GD since '06).
This can equal LOTS of potential for you. There are tons of cake decorators across the country who actually don't have a pastry degree but some other sort of art degree. Having an artist in a bakery is definitely a plus! If you've ever watched Ace of Cakes... Duff is the only one who went to culinary school (He's also a giant A$$ IRL, but that's beside the point) the remainder of the staff are artists and people who learned via "hands on" training. (PS.. Mary Alice and Geoff are WAY cooler than Duff! And nicer!)
It seems like the schools only offer certificates and associate's degrees for pastry.
Culinary degrees generally across the board are associate's degrees. My school was a 21 month program at the Art Institute. It's an Associate of Applied Science Degree.
a) Would you encourage me to go into the industry?
If you are looking to make a lot of money... no. If you are looking to do something that makes you happy and you genuinely enjoy... ABSOLUTELY. I've told several people this, including a couple of ladies here on TN, I LOVE my occupation, but I HATE my job. If that makes any sense to you.
b) What does your typical work week look like?
This one is a little harder to decipher because it REALLY depends on where you work. I currently work in a baking/catering position in a production kitchen at the North American headquarters for Ericsson. I go in at 6:30a, bake muffins and scones, get together morning catering orders and deliver them. Then I start on afternoon/lunch orders. I bake cookies, proof and bake dinner rolls, and sometimes bake loaf bread for the deli. I make Rice Krispie Treats and mini brownie bites, etc, etc, etc. In addition to catering, I have to also package/display all the above products for the Cafe. We serve about 3000 people a day in the Cafe and I only work out on the Cafe line if we are short-handed or super slammed. This is typically the same Monday-Friday (the upside to a corporate setting!)
We also are responsible for cleaning our kitchen, so that happens in the last 30 - 45 mins of my day. I'm off at 3p.
I have also worked at a hotel and my week looked a little different. In hotels, restaurants and country clubs, it is NOT uncommon to end up working 12 hour days because it's THAT busy. Your schedule can also often fluctuate. I've worked 4am, 6am and 8am shifts at the hotel. Sometimes all three in one week.
c) Is the payoff (salary/benefits) worthwhile for the work you put in?
Not at the time, no. HAHA. I do have full benefits since I work full-time and for a large corporation. It was the same at the hotel (I worked for Hilton). I feel grossly underpaid for the amount of work I put in most days. I made more money when working for the hotel and probably didn't do as much work. That being said, I work Mon-Fri 6:30 - 3 EVERY week. No Holidays, No Nights, No Weekends. This is not the way it works anywhere else. Except maybe schools. So for that reason, I don't mind my salary
This part really depends on WHERE you are working. Hospitals and Schools pay VERY well. Having a degree helps when negotiating salary. For example, I'm the only one in the kitchen that I work at that has a culinary degree. That being said, many of them have worked for this company for 15 - 20 years. But I probably started out making more money than the 4 or 5 other employees hired in the last 3 or 4 years (I've been there roughly a year and a half).
d) Do you think a certificate/AAS is enough to get anywhere in the industry?
You absolutely cannot get ANYWHERE in the industry with just a degree. This seems quite unfortunate, yes. Especially considering the amount of cash I put in to that degree.
Experience takes you SO much further than your degree when you are looking for a job in this industry. And it is really hard to start because everyone wants experience, but how are you EVER supposed to get experience if no one will hire you!?! I was lucky and one of my Chef instructors at school asked me to come in and apply for the position at Hilton.
Bakeries are hard to find positions in simply for the fact that no one ever leaves. Being in Dallas, there are bakeries EVERYWHERE. None of which I was ever able to find a open position at when I was in school. And again, they look for experience.
I've really just scraped the barrel here with my answers so as not to completely overwhelm you with info. I fear that my answers may have come across as negative towards the industry and I must admit that a lot of that feeling comes from the fact that I'm just tired of working my a$$ off doing the same thing every single day and not feeling like any of it is a product of ME.
I do not get the time to be creative in my position (very often) and we work on a super tight budget. All the above items I mentioned that I bake, are not from scratch (with the exception of the RK Treats and banana bread when I have time). They are bought in frozen doughs/batters/etc in addition to many items we buy in "thaw and serve". I hate it. But I am literally doing a job that should be done by two people and there is no room for me to make anything.
However, on the side, in my home, I do custom cakes, cupcakes and pastries. My client list has grown and I have had some clients return and some of their friends come to me by word of mouth. This is the part I love. I get to be creative, I get to actually bake, and I get to take my time and do it the way I want.
It is a wonderful industry. And I have a lot of passion for the things that I do on my own. The industry has been inundated in the last couple of years because EVERYONE is suddenly an amazing cupcake baker or cake decorator. And while there are plenty out there who are amazing, it's frustrating when there are so many that aren't as good as you but get business because they charge less. I'm sure Chicago is just as flooded with cupcakeries and bakeries as Dallas is!
If you have anymore questions or if there is something that you would like me to elaborate on, please don't hesitate to PM me and ask!! I will do my best to answer as I can.
I apologize, for any typos I didn't catch, in advance.
Thank you sooo much for answering my questions! It's hard to find much info online as far as people's opinions, school ratings, and so forth. Your answers were good and not totally negative. I need to hear the negatives anyway. Also, don't most people complain about their jobs!? haha
Thank you for mentioning about working in hospitals. Hubby is starting med school, and currently hopes he'll end up working in the ER. If so, we'd be living near a hospital and that could potentially work out well if I go through with this.
I signed up for a Wilton course last week and it begins a week Sunday. I thought I'd try a couple of those classes first just to see if I enjoy it. I've been wanting to try my hand at this for a long time, so we'll see! Also since I've been thinking about this career move it's kind of put my mind at ease. Thinking about/discussing/researching schools became extremely stressful for me. I had no idea what I wanted to do, but knew I needed to go back and further my education so I could have a career and not just a 'job'. Anyway... Thank you again so much for your input. I'll let you know what comes out of all of this! (If I do go back it'll be in Jan)
PS. Did you meet Duff!? He reminds me a lot of one of my friends who grew up in the area. I can imagine an on tv persona could be very different from IRL.