Even though I am a big fan of Christmas parties, I still dread them.  People get a little weird around the holidays and it seems that you never know what to expect.  This can be a larger problem when at a work party, but it seems that even family gatherings can have their issues.

I ran into this problem tonight at the party hosted by my parents.  I only come home every second year, so it seems that my parent’s friends grill me even more as they have two years of gossip and news to catch up on.

The only new thing that happened over the last two years is that I started to attend one of the cooking schools  in Jacksonville, where I live.  I had always thought cooking was something that I was good at, and after being in school for the past four months, my marks prove I was right.

But it seems that the guests at the party all questioned my wisdom when it came to choosing to get a culinary education over following in the family tradition of becoming lawyers.

I was really quite taken aback by their assumption that tradition was more important than my freedom to choose what I wanted to learn.  In fact, I left the party early as I was tired of the inquisition – somehow they just couldn’t see that choosing my own career was my decision and not anyone else’s.

Technorati Tags: cooking schools, culinary education

I would like to think that I take my future seriously, so when it came time to pick out on school from the many cooking schools available to me, it was tough.  The caliber of the instructors to me was really important, and those on my list were very good.  In fact, that made the selection even harder.

But in the end, we can only ever go to one school and be in one place at a time, so I had no choice but to pick something.  Though some people would say that every culinary arts degrees are the same, I would have to disagree.  There are some schools out there that have better hiring rates and employer satisfaction, so I would have to add that criteria to my list too.

I have arranged to have a number of tours of a few schools in the area to see what they offer, how their facilities stack up, and it will also give me an opportunity to get a feel of what I should expect.  If they aren’t willing to let me have a tour, I think I will have to scratch them off the list.

So, I have my work cut out for me, but in the end it is my future and my education.  Is it too much to ask to have the best?

Technorati Tags: cooking schools, culinary arts degrees

With more and more people looking to train for new careers, cooking schools are becoming more popular with career changers. As a person who is looking to change careers, I have seriously considered undertaking a culinary education. This would allow me to train for a new career that would provide job stability.

Since education of any kind is an investment, I need a career that is local, portable and cannot be outsourced. Basically, I want job security, and with the right education and some hands-on culinary training, I know a career in the culinary arts field is a good choice because a good chef will build a quality reputation for himself/herself and will always be in demand.

Career changers make excellent candidates for culinary school training. No matter what the previous occupations held, we know the importance of meeting deadlines, operating an efficient business, managing time and daily operations, and understand the importance of excellent customer service. By combining past occupational skills with training from a well-respected culinary institute, I know the chances are good to one day either open my own bakery or become a culinary instructor. A chef school is just one way I can further expand my love of learning while training for a new career.

Technorati Tags: cooking schools, Culinary Arts, culinary education