4 answers
Fredrick
Student
Round Lake Beach, Illinois
4
Questions
Asked
1107 views
Like most/least about this career?
What do you like most/least about this career
Login to comment
4 answers
Peter McCaffrey
Chef/GM
15
Answers
Napa, California
Updated
Peter’s Answer
Pros-I love the creative process!
I enjoy designing menus and new recipes. As well as working with the kitchen team and the front of the house team to ensure guest satisfaction. I like the buzz of the kitchen. I also think the business side of our industry is challenging and rewarding.
Cons-Nights, holidays, weekends, long hours. In the early years of the profession-pay is not good. Make sure you love working in kitchen!
But like any profession-you start at the bottom and must work your way to the top. If you enjoy what you do and have passion about this profession, it can be very rewarding!
Try working in a kitchen before going to Culinary school.
Business classes is an important part of this profession
You can do an apprenticeship program and save culinary school expenses
Travel
I enjoy designing menus and new recipes. As well as working with the kitchen team and the front of the house team to ensure guest satisfaction. I like the buzz of the kitchen. I also think the business side of our industry is challenging and rewarding.
Cons-Nights, holidays, weekends, long hours. In the early years of the profession-pay is not good. Make sure you love working in kitchen!
But like any profession-you start at the bottom and must work your way to the top. If you enjoy what you do and have passion about this profession, it can be very rewarding!
Peter recommends the following next steps:
Michelle Weldon
Certified Pharmacy Technician
1
Answer
Augusta, Georgia
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
I love being a pharmacy Technician. It is a very broad careers far as job opportunities. You have such a variety of avenues you can take. Ex. Hospital, Retail, Speciality and on . What I like least the mental exhaustion. COVID is a prime example. Medical field in general are tired. But I will say I wouldn't trade it.
Dr. Angela Josiah
Clinical Pharmacist
1
Answer
Dallas, Texas
Updated
Dr. Angela’s Answer
Being a pharmacist is very rewarding. Just the thought of knowing that you're helping patients by giving them knowledge about their medications, helping them improve adherence to medication and helping them improve their quality of life. As a pharmacist you have the ability to educate patients about different disease states such as diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. We also offer immunizations, making it easy for a patient to get immunized at the pharmacy instead of waiting for a doctor's visit. There are also instances where pharmacists have prescriptive authority where they can prescribe medications that would readily help a patient. These are all things I love about my job!
Things I dislike would be not having enough time in a day to take care of all the patients. Or if a patient becomes irate due to insurance coverage or things that are out of our control. But we can quickly turn that around by prioritizing our workflow and reaching out to the doctor's office to get a more cost-effective medication.
Things I dislike would be not having enough time in a day to take care of all the patients. Or if a patient becomes irate due to insurance coverage or things that are out of our control. But we can quickly turn that around by prioritizing our workflow and reaching out to the doctor's office to get a more cost-effective medication.
Garth Clingingsmith
Recipe Development
10
Answers
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Garth’s Answer
Chef Peter is right.
I'd just like to echo how tough the hours are for everyone. But, if you want a family, it can be especially challenging. My spouse works Monday-Friday, 9a-5p. When our kids were small and didn't have their own schedules, it was great! But, as they became school-age and merged onto my spouse's schedule, I was the odd person out. It's been hard to miss out on things in the evenings and weekends. And, it puts a big burden on my partner to be on their own on the weekends.
Re: Culinary School--Chef Peter is right, again. Don't take on that financial burden without knowing it's an investment that will pay off. Most of the time, you can find the training you need in scratch kitchens with a supportive and nurturing staff.
All of that being said, few jobs are as rewarding as cooking. Few work days end with a sense of accomplishment as strong as you'll have cleaning a kitchen with your team. That camaraderie is crucial and deep. The breadth of experiences is vast. And, working with your hands (in addition to your mind) is so satisfying.
I'd just like to echo how tough the hours are for everyone. But, if you want a family, it can be especially challenging. My spouse works Monday-Friday, 9a-5p. When our kids were small and didn't have their own schedules, it was great! But, as they became school-age and merged onto my spouse's schedule, I was the odd person out. It's been hard to miss out on things in the evenings and weekends. And, it puts a big burden on my partner to be on their own on the weekends.
Re: Culinary School--Chef Peter is right, again. Don't take on that financial burden without knowing it's an investment that will pay off. Most of the time, you can find the training you need in scratch kitchens with a supportive and nurturing staff.
All of that being said, few jobs are as rewarding as cooking. Few work days end with a sense of accomplishment as strong as you'll have cleaning a kitchen with your team. That camaraderie is crucial and deep. The breadth of experiences is vast. And, working with your hands (in addition to your mind) is so satisfying.