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Some things you gotta learn the hard way.
A lot of culinary grads feel like they're stuck working in restaurants the rest of their life, and this is not true (unless you want it to be!). There are several untraditional career paths where a culinary degree can come in handy, like food styling, food marketing, recipe development, and sales — to name just a few.
Being called a chef is something that comes with many years of work experience, and a culinary grad shouldn't expect to be called one right after graduating. I'm not saying that *all* students expect this, but in my experience, it's a common misunderstanding.
Staying relevant is not just about staying up to date on foodie social media accounts and chef trends (although those are important). Attending culinary conferences, networking parties, and restaurant openings are just some of the ways you can keep up with trends without having to spend money on eating at fancy restaurants.
The reality is this: Culinary school isn't a golden ticket. Some kitchens will love that you went, and other kitchens will actually see it as a negative. It's all subjective.
"Hot behind", "86", and "yes, chef" are all terms you need to understand, but it's also important to be able to confidently speak with management in a professional manner. Learning how to speak the super-important kitchen slang as well as professional jargon (like how to negotiate a raise) are two different but equally important skills, and I wish I'd learned more of the latter.
Culinary school *is* hot, but restaurant kitchens can be SCORCHING. Be prepared to work in the heat and learn tricks for dealing with it in a healthy manner (and, TBH, learn how to find a new job if it gets out of control).
A stage is just a fancy name for working for free to gain experience or try out for a job. Most kitchens will take a stage (who says no to free work?) and consider it a serious source of talent. Culinary school does stress the importance of staging, but it doesn't really teach how to ask for a stage in a professional manner. If writers learn how to send pitches, chefs should be taught how to stage.
Culinary school does a great job of teaching technical skills, but it doesn't teach creativity (and, to be fair, that's not why you go). The food industry values creativity, and it's important to learn how (and when) to be creative.