My college dd has decided to drop out and go to culinary school!

[tvguy]

Originally Posted by clm10308

What about a compromise of a college that has a culinary program with a degree program?

Does such a thing exist?

[debster812]

Originally Posted by tvguy

Does such a thing exist?

I know of at least one University that does offer Culinary Arts with a degree. Both Associates & Bachelor's

http://www.jwu.edu/content.aspx?id=19586

[Becky2005]

Originally Posted by tvguy

Does such a thing exist?

It might -- you usually have to do a TON of digging to find schools that are off the beaten path so to speak. That is how we originally found the school DD was going to go -- no one has heard of it. It is not your typical school although you can get a Bachelor's degree -- it is more a liberal arts school, so I wouldn't send anyone there that say wanted to be an accountant -- although they DO have those type of classes there. They don't have 4 year degrees for everything but do pretty much have 2 year for everything -- so it is basically a Community College/4-year hybrid type. It is really hard to explain but we only found it after some diggigng due to frustration on our parts of trying to find a school that had more hands-on learning but wasn't a conservatory type of school either!

That way, if DD did change what she wanted her major to be, she still had the math, science, english courses, etc....

[Art 1]

Originally Posted by pacrosby

I think that's too bad - that you would be disappointed that your child wanted to do what they wanted instead of what you wanted.

Honestly, if the OP's child really wants to go to culinary school I think the OP should give her nothing but support. Too many kids make choices based on what mommy and daddy and their friends and their guidance counselors and the "experts" suggest...... and then spend the rest of their lives working in fields that they don't really even enjoy. It's "their" life. Never forget that.

...and spend the rest of their lives broke. At that age most have no idea what it takes to buy and maintain a home, raise kids, put them in good schools, activities, dress them well, buy them cars, put braces on their teeth and so forth. There aren't many Ingrid Hoffman's out there. My Son will be graduating college next semester and has a very good job lined up with Apple already. He thanked his mother over Christmas break for pushing him hard and in the right direction and for saving the money to put him through school.

[Becky2005]

Originally Posted by debster812

I know of at least one University that does offer Culinary Arts with a degree. Both Associates & Bachelor's

http://www.jwu.edu/content.aspx?id=19586

That's the one my DD's friend is going to for Culinary Arts. We stayed at the hotel in Providence that is basically run by the students that are in the hospitality program. I hear it is a really good school.

[tvguy]

Originally Posted by pacrosby

There are other jobs in the culinary field besides just working in a kitchen. Catering and private chef opportunities are the first two that come to mind. The money can be quite good and the benefit of having greater control of one's life (as opposed to when you are at your boss' beck and call all day, and sometimes nights and weekends too, and you're not allowed to make a decision without asking permission first) is, IMO, a big bonus. Just food for thought.
.

Well, I have worked with a couple of folks who chucked it all and went to culinary school. One opened a catering business, the other went the private chef route. Both made it about 7 years before getting out. Biggest issue they had they had NO control over their life. One night you are catering a formal dinner for 150 at 630 pm and working until midnight, and the next day you are catering breakfast for 100, starting work at 3 am (3 hours after your last job) for 7 am service. And I guess being at a variety of clients beck and call can be a lot worse than having one boss. Some people have impossible expectations, or like to make huge changes at the last minute and expect not to pay extra for it. And the pay, well, if you're going to be competitive price wise, you aren't going to earn much. My friend in catering said Panda Express and Boston Market really killed his business with their catering........even though their food isn't as fresh and as good, folks just look at the fact the price is 30% less than the lowest he can offer.

[hallie]

Originally Posted by pacrosby

I think that's too bad - that you would be disappointed that your child wanted to do what they wanted instead of what you wanted.

Honestly, if the OP's child really wants to go to culinary school I think the OP should give her nothing but support. Too many kids make choices based on what mommy and daddy and their friends and their guidance counselors and the "experts" suggest...... and then spend the rest of their lives working in fields that they don't really even enjoy. It's "their" life. Never forget that.

[4luv2cdisney]

Originally Posted by Art 1

...and spend the rest of their lives broke. At that age most have no idea what it takes to buy and maintain a home, raise kids, put them in good schools, activities, dress them well, buy them cars, put braces on their teeth and so forth. There aren't many Ingrid Hoffman's out there. My Son will be graduating college next semester and has a very good job lined up with Apple already. He thanked his mother over Christmas break for pushing him hard and in the right direction and for saving the money to put him through school.

And that's great if it is what your son is happy with. I hope he likes the job once he's actually working there.

Not everyone is cut out for an office job. Money does not guarantee happiness. It certainly is nice if you can manage both! I hope my children can earn enough money to not struggle and to live happily! To me that is success.

OP, you should be focusing on helping her choose a career path that she will be happy with. If it is culinary school, so be it. She should definately do her research, though! And I agree that she should tough out the year if it means you will have to pay back money you cannot afford to pay back. Perhaps having an "end in sight" will help her get through the next few months.

[IheartMickey]

Originally Posted by 4luv2cdisney

And that's great if it is what your son is happy with. I hope he likes the job once he's actually working there.

Not everyone is cut out for an office job. Money does not guarantee happiness. It certainly is nice if you can manage both! I hope my children can earn enough money to not struggle and to live happily! To me that is success.

OP, you should be focusing on helping her choose a career path that she will be happy with. If it is culinary school, so be it. She should definately do her research, though! And I agree that she should tough out the year if it means you will have to pay back money you cannot afford to pay back. Perhaps having an "end in sight" will help her get through the next few months.

I actually think making her payback something will teach her a lesson. When I dropped out the first time it was 4 weeks into the semester. I was forming and my roommates were horrible, and they were all doing drugs and drinking in a dry dorm. I initially owed $8600 to the school, but I wrote a letter to the Dean about what was taking place in my dorm and they reduced it to $2400. I paid $100/month for two years to pay off those 4 weeks at school. It sure taught me a lesson.

[4luv2cdisney]

Originally Posted by IheartMickey

I actually think making her payback something will teach her a lesson. When I dropped out the first time it was 4 weeks into the semester. I was forming and my roommates were horrible, and they were all doing drugs and drinking in a dry dorm. I initially owed $8600 to the school, but I wrote a letter to the Dean about what was taking place in my dorm and they reduced it to $2400. I paid $100/month for two years to pay off those 4 weeks at school. It sure taught me a lesson.

Sorry you had to put up with that. I would be very upset! If my DD wanted out for those reasons, I would gladly foot the bill. Though, I imagine you were dropping for other reasons...? I could see letting her pay for it to learn a lesson under some circumstances.

I don't think anyone should be "punished" for realizing they are on the wrong path and pursuing another. I'd be glad she's figuring it out early!

[akcire]

My mom is a chef. There are a lot of chefs with no business skills.


I would try and get her to stay at undergrad and get a business degree playing sports for the free tuition. I would encourage her to keep cooking on her own.

After college she can attend culinary school, think of it like grad school. She will be in a better position to run a successful business as opposed to be a kitchen slave for $12 an hour for the next 15 years.

You need to get her to try and focus on the long term. If she changes her mind after a few summers working in kitchens she can always find another grad program.

[JaneBanks]

I just have to say that I think it is pretty insulting to your daughter ( and to others who chose the culinary route) to be called the "underachieving" daughter, comparing her to the older "overachieving" daughter.

[IheartMickey]

Originally Posted by 4luv2cdisney

Sorry you had to put up with that. I would be very upset! If my DD wanted out for those reasons, I would gladly foot the bill. Though, I imagine you were dropping for other reasons...? I could see letting her pay for it to learn a lesson under some circumstances.

I don't think anyone should be "punished" for realizing they are on the wrong path and pursuing another. I'd be glad she's figuring it out early!

Actually I did drop out for those reasons. I was home instructed for 10th-12th grade (3 years) because of a disability with my leg. When I graduated I had no idea how wild most 18 year olds were, my group of friends weren't like that. It was a huge culture shock and I lacked coping skills I would have learned had I gone to high school for those years. I was planning on going back to a different college in the spring but in December my grandmother was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. I stayed home to help take care of her and she passed at home with us in June.

I went to a new college with my best friend for the summer semester, completed that and then dropped out again that fall semester. I had received a settlement because my disability was from an accident and I paid tuition up front in cash. I lost about $3,000 and have never gone back. It worked out for me in the end though.

[luvthemouse71]

This is why I think most kids should start at CC. Very few people go with their original plan out of high school- you do have some that know from a young age what they want to do but they are the exception.

And I agree that there is a little bit of snobbery present in this thread.

[Elmo9607]

Good for her...I changed my path after my first associates degree and instead of going to a four year, I got my culinary arts degree.

It takes a VERY special kind of person to work in a kitchen and even if you make it through school, most kids won't make it in the industry. That is a fact. It takes an EXTREME amount of dedication, a lot of very hard work. There are long days for months and months on end, with very limited time off. It's very hard to maintain relationships and you don't see your family.

That said, it is a job that is ALWAYS in demand. There are so many sub-fields she could go in...like catering, hospitality, nutrition, education, ect. Just because she has a culinary degree doesn't mean she will slave her life away in a kitchen. For example, I'm currently pursuing an opportunity to do hospitality with sports car racing teams.

And yes, I graduated from a school that currently has one of the BEST culinary programs in the COUNTRY. The cost of my degree? About $15,000.

I did the College Program at Disney, I got to work with some of the best chefs in the country, I have made awesome connections, and I can do so many things with my degree I had a hard time choosing what I wanted to do with it. Trust me, if it's a culinary school with going to, it will take her ONE semester to figure out if this is really what she wants to do.