Can you be a docter and a chef at the same time?

I'm a chef and I disagree with the post above. You aren't required to attend culinary school at all to become a good chef, but you are required to attend medical school to become any kind of doctor. I would suggest attending medical school first. Culinary schools will accept students of any age. I didn't begin until I was 40, and didn't finish, and I'm actually working as a Private Chef for a professional athlete after owning my own catering business for several years. Most of the younger students that I attended school with and actually finished, are still working day jobs that are unrelated to anything culinary because they got frustrated that they couldn't make a high 5 or low 6 figure income right out of school.. That is my own personal experience, and I realize that everyone's experience is different.

You probably won't have any spare time to dedicate to anything else while in medical school because from what I've heard, medical school is very demanding and once you start your internship, However, you could volunteer to cook in shelters, etc. when you do have spare time.

Pursuing both at the same time is a bad idea because if you split your focus between two career tracks, you most likely won't be able to do either very well. My suggestion would be to sit down and really focus on pros and cons of both careers, and pursue the one you are most interested in with everything you have. Give it 100% effort. You can always switch if you decide you don't like the first one. Basic college courses are transferable so get those squared away first (math, english, etc). Culinary schools require those classes as well, so be sure the basics you take will transfer to your schools of choice before taking them, so you don't have to take them twice.

I hope this helps give you some insight into at least the culinary aspect of your question. I wish you the best of luck!

Chef Sallie Lardy

Great Question.

Nothing is impossible, but I wouldn't pursue a career in both simultaneously. These positions are two vastly different and each require their own set of training, experience, and skill sets. While being skilled with a knife may be an important skill for both a chef and a surgeon, working two jobs can be very time consuming and stressful.

You can go to culinary school to become a chef and volunteer during your down time at local clinics. You can also go to medical school while volunteering to cook at homeless shelters. In my experience with culinary schools, they target young people to educate and train to become chefs. Medical schools will accept a wider age range. So if you wish to get a degree in both, you should go to culinary school first.