Career Change - am I mad?

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n.l.e.1984

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I have been working in the financial services for more than 3 years, but lately I have been considering a career change. I never really chose this line of work it just kind of happened. It was fine for the first couple of years but now I think I am just bored with it and need a new challenge.

The one thing I really enjoy doing is cooking but I am sure there is a big difference between doing something as a hobby and doing it every day for a living. I have lookied into Failte Ireland's Culinary Skills or Restaurant Skills courses but would be like to hear from someone who has acually done one of these courses or knows someone else that has.

Am I mad to leave my safe, if boring, Monday to Friday 9-5 job to go back training for a completely different career?
 
n.l.e.1984 said:
to go back training for a completely different career?
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What career? Kitchen porter? Assistant chef? Head chef? What sort? What kind of food/restaurant/outlet?

Have you any experience at all in working in this area? Could you get some while holding down your normal full time job? Do you realise that the work will probably be demanding and the hours unsociable? Would looking for a less boring job in your current line of work be another option?
 
Why don't you try and get a job in a kitchen at the weekends to see if you like it and if it's suitably stimulating for you?

At the back of the Health Supplement of today's Irish Times is an article about a woman's who has opened her own bakery/tea rooms in Cork which might be interesting reading for you. Good luck.
 
No knowledge of those or any other courses. Following the course, what career change do/would you have in mind? (as queried above)

I'd certainly follow both suggestions of trying to get some practical experience of that line of work, only after that start to consider which course to pursue your aims with.

I worked for a number of years in a hotel kitchen preparing starters, sandwiches, desserts and whatever else as required (starting as a kitchen porter and working up from there - also taking in hotel porter, barman and numerous other positions along the way) and the atmosphere of working in a kitchen like that can't possibly be compared to cooking food at home. From the working environment ("if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen" took on a whole new meaning when surrounded by numerous industrial ovens) to the pressure (fine for junior staff like myself at the time [part time job] but horrible for the head chef and senior staff) it really wasn't a job I'd envy. Though I do still enjoy my cooking at home.

If you have something different in mind (e.g. not working for a large hotel/restaurant, dealing with weddings/large bookings etc.) then investigate the type of role you wish to get into, but do investigate it and research as much as you can before you make a leap.
 
Also remember that unless you are very, very good you will always be badly paid for the hours and pressure. I also enjoy cooking at home but would not like to work in a large kitchen. A short order chef in Eddy Rockets is a world away from a staff chef in a mid to high-end restaurant!

A weekend or evening job in a kitchen is a great idea.
 
Why not try cooking some stuff for sale at a (farmer's) market at the weekends and see how that goes?
 
I am actually a trained chef. I did the two year full time professional cookery course in Cathal Brutha in dublin. I can honestly tell you cooking for fun is 100% different to actually working in the industry. I loved the course but hated the job. Terrible hours, terrible pay and when your a commis you have to take a serious amount of stick from every other chef there BUT obviously if you make it to the top positions the pay is better and all the head chefs I know love their jobs.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I know it completely different doing something because you enjoy it and doing it day in day out. But I also think it is important that you like your line of work. The reason I am interested in the Failte Ireland courses is that you get on the job training as part of the course and I can see for myself whether or not the hob would suit me.

My current job is really starting to get me down. My commute is min 1 hour 15 mins each way, which as well as taking over 12 hours of my time each week, is costing me a small fortune. My boss has made me an offer which although was generous on her part, I wont see any actual financial benefits for another 1 1/2 years and it would mean committing myself long term to the business. And if the slow down in the housing market continues it may not even be that financially rewarding.

I know the hours are long but I am not afraid of hard work and I am ready for a challenge. I know too that I can expect to start off on low pay but my current salary is only the minimum wage and from that I have to fork out over €300 a month on petrol (I get a commision payment too but this has been practically non existant for the last 6 months).
 
n.l.e.1984 said:
My current job is really starting to get me down.
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You mean your current job or your current line of work generally? You need to think carefully about this before making any rash decisions.
My commute is min 1 hour 15 mins each way, which as well as taking over 12 hours of my time each week, is costing me a small fortune.
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So look for work nearer to home?
My boss has made me an offer which although was generous on her part, I wont see any actual financial benefits for another 1 1/2 years and it would mean committing myself long term to the business.
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A couple of years is not that long term.
I know too that I can expect to start off on low pay but my current salary is only the minimum wage
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You mean that your salary is around €18K gross?
I get a commision payment too but this has been practically non existant for the last 6 months).
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Why - because you have not met your targets or some other reason?
 
n.l.e. - Looks like you have had enough of the job for right now.

If you are serious about the cooking/culinary career well then you should go for it ... but there's more than one way to do this. You can cut down your risk by finding a local restaurant (no commute/cost) and work part time on the week-end in a restaurant/kitchen while still keeping you day job.

This is a really sensible option, because if you don't like it, you can chuck it in and you can find out a lot about the culinary world without a loss of income. Also you could easily leave the part time job and go to another restaurant and check out another environment and see if that suits.
A short stint in 2/3 restaurants could really give you a lot of info.


Ps ... not all office jobs are the same. If you are earning commission, you are in sales (i am guessing this, so apologies if i am incorrect) and there are a lot of office jobs out there that are NOT in sales. A lot of people fall/stumble into sales because it's an easy entry point for people into the business world to get experience. Companies start junior staff on a low basic with commission and from their point of view, if you don't work out, sure they are only down your basic salary, govt taxes, some expenses and a little bit commission, so it's not a huge risk for them.
However, over the long term (5-10 years+), only people who are suited to sales stay in the sales area.
Maybe there are other office jobs that suit as well and you might not have found out about them yet. So keep doing your research and make an informed decision.

Either way, best of luck !
 
You mean your current job or your current line of work generally?

My current job has been getting me down, mainly because of the travelling.

So look for work nearer to home?

I had considered this but I cannot see me enjoying what I do even if it was closer to home.

A couple of years is not that long term.

I agree but my boss has offered to make me a director so she would be expecting me to commit for more than a couple of years.

You mean that your salary is around €18K gross?

Yes, that is about how much my basic salary is but I receive a commission payment in addition to this.

Why - because you have not met your targets or some other reason?

There is a number of reasons - the main one being the general slow down so less people are purchasing than say a year ago. The number of mortgage brokers in the town has increased from 3 to 5. Lenders offering products to clients that are not available through brokers, so naturally the client goes directly to the lender to avail of this (this particularily applies to switching, resulting in commission clawback).
 
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nle, I'd go along with the advice above, that you should try maybe part-time work or cooking/baking for markets/fairs to see if you still enjoy cooking when you're under pressure. No doubt the extra few bob would be handy for you too.
When I was leaving the oil industry, having worked there 20 odd years, my first "onshore" job was always going to be a career change in some way.
After the novelty of the first few weeks wore off, I hated the new job I was in. I've got myself well sorted now, but my advice is think very carefully before jumping ship.
Cook part-time, or try really hard to find a job with less of a commute...or both.
Taking a leap into another job you're ultimately not happy in will only add to your sense of despair.
Good luck
 
n.l.e.1984 said:
Am I mad to leave my safe, if boring, Monday to Friday 9-5 job to go back training for a completely different career?
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I was thinking along the same lines myself. It is a pity Failte Ireland don't do night courses or weekend courses.

Failte Ireland in Limerick do some weekend courses but I think that they may only be open to students.

I would love to do the13 week failte course but I'd have to pack in my job.
 
You're not mad but be very careful - Like a previous poster I did the Chef training (good few years ago now) and loved the course but hated working full time at it. It's bloody hard going and stressful and if that wasn't enough the pay is usually crap.

Split shifts are a particular delight....(not) - you start work at 10am or so and work until lunch is done (2ish usually), then you knock off for 2-3 hours and back 5-11pm for the evening trade. That can wear you down very quickly.


There were 50 odd in my graduating year - within 6-12 months 1-15 were left working in the industry. This was in pre celtic tiger days too.

Getting a weekend job as many of the posters suggest is the way to go.


You need a passion for that kind of work that's strong enough to carry you through the negatives.
 
a commute of 1hr 15 mins is nothing really - I don't think I know anyone who has a commute of less than an hour
 
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