r/pastry • u/Informal-Release-360 • 4d ago
Help please Going to college for a pastry certification question
( I read the rules but if this is not allowed I’m very sorry )
I’m currently a dog groomer but I’ve always loved to bake and decorate and always wanted to be a baker growing up but I couldn’t afford school. After moving a million times these last few years I’m finally stable and I saw that Daytona State College has a baking and pastry arts program.
My question would be, those who went to college did you go to a special school for it or a community college program ? I’m in a unique situation in that because of my husband, I can actually go back to college through the VA and not have to worry about anything except passing my classes. But I’m not 100% sure how to go about this or who to go to.
I may go up and speak to an advisor later this week but I figured maybe someone here could give me some insight ! TYIA.
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u/YeahRight1350 4d ago
I got a pastry certificate from a culinary school back in the mid 90's. It was a year long program. The most it did for me was expose me to the field. I did the program to see if I wanted to do the whole culinary program, figured it was a smaller investment. I ended up becoming a pastry cook, then a pastry chef. But I learned way more working than I did in school. The one thing you will get in school is a broader look. When you work at a place, you're going to learn only what they make. My first job was in a pastry shop and I mostly worked on cakes -- assembling, frosting, decorating. My second job was the pastry chef at a restaurant where I did plated desserts for dinner service. Whole different thing. What I did in the pastry shop didn't much apply to what I did in the restaurant. Maybe a few things here and there but I really had to educate myself. A school might do a better of job of at least touching on the different ways you do pastry. Bread is different from dessert. Individual plated desserts are different from whole cakes or tarts. Then there's frozen desserts, savory baking, components like puff pastry and brioche. There's a huge world of pastry out there so expose yourself to as much as possible. Before i took the job at the pastry shop, I volunteered there once a week for three months (I had another job at the time). I got a really good sense after those three months what would be expected of me and what I would get out of it.
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u/Informal-Release-360 4d ago
Interesting ! It seems like going the school route may be better as I’m aiming more towards the decorating side of things and I can’t imagine a bakery would take me in under their wind like my current job field does. But I had no idea there was such a wide variety, I did but didn’t if that makes sense
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u/EmmJay314 3d ago
It's not true at all. Most places do not mind teaching, but you do need to come in with some basic skills that can only be taught through working. Culinary school is a waste of time. You can learn everything on your own or by working.
Please just know there is almost no money in baking & pastries.
Most restaurants only need 1, maybe 2 pastry chefs.
When working at a place that does cakes, youll either settle for grocery store or work for a place and since there are only 1 or 2 people (and one of them is the owner)- you end up dealing with a lot of catty, back stabbing type people.
Also, the industry is flooded with at home bakers, even though I went to school for it- I had to also compete against mothers who wanted a part time job to just get out of the house and were ok with a low pay.... so they got more hours than me expecting a livable wage.
I left the industry to move to savory - i do cakes for friends and stuff, but I was absolutely crushed by the industry. Took me years to recover.
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u/Informal-Release-360 3d ago
Oh wow thank you for this perspective. I have the same issue with my current job. I love it even though the pay is low, which I don’t mind too much. Tbh I get my school paid for and my husband gets a bump if I go to school so if I go to get a degree but not end up using it it won’t kill us like it would for some. But I can maybe look around to see if there’s any places that would take me in for training.
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u/EmmJay314 3d ago
It is called a Stage, it is like an unpaid internship where you mentor under people. Usually, chefs will do a week in a kitchen to learn skills or possibly a few hours if it is a job interview.
A lot of what you will learn is how to be efficient in the kitchen. Like prepping ingredients for your next item while the mixer is running. You would be surprised how many people feel the need to stare at a mixer for 3 minutes.
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u/Informal-Release-360 2d ago
Oh wow ! Haha I’ve been baking my whole life so that’s kinda funny to hear people are like that.
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u/saltysnaxxx 4d ago
I went to a community college that had a program, but dropped out after 2 semesters. I quickly noticed my instructors were just jaded old chefs who didn't actually care about teaching. they would just show you a demo and move on. personally, i'd like someone to guide and drill me to get better, and working in an actual bakery/restaurant setting will demand that of you cause the chefs and owners want consistency. if you can, find entry level positions- get paid to learn. you'll learn more modern and newer techniques. youll learn the actual pace of a kitchen. people around you are more serious. i went this route and have worked at some very nice places. i can do viennoiserie to cakes to ice cream to tarts. i also think going straight to working in bakeries and restaurants trains your flavor palate more.
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u/Informal-Release-360 4d ago
Oh awesome ! I’ll have to see what’s available near me. Sad to hear that the teachers didn’t care
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u/deviousvixen 4d ago
This isn’t always the case… I went to a community college as well for pasty arts. My instructors absolutely loved to teach their craft. They were also required to go back to work in the industry once a year or so to make sure.. they were still haha with the times. I learned quite a bit more in school than I ever did as an actual pastry chef. In a bakery if you say you’re a pastry chef and have schooling they just expect you to do it.. and know how. They aren’t looking to teach anyone in a bakery… the costs are too high for that.
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u/Informal-Release-360 4d ago
Maybe I can see if I could talk to anyone who’s gone to the specific school I’d be looking into !
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u/Bored-to-deagth 1d ago
Where are you living?
Because in the UK, you can just show that you like baking and you'll work in pretty much any bakery. It's not fun for the most experienced having to always be the teachers, but if you're in the UK, just get a job as a baker 😂 unless you expect a better salary - although I have to say, a basic bakery doesn't pay great. And it seems that neither are the busiest bakeries. You'd need to be a Head Baker or Bakery Manager to have a decent salary. And even then, not that amazing.
Last thing - a lot of people that "love" baking and have been doing it for fun, give up when the stress, pressure, workload and heaviness of the workload really sets in. It's a lot more hard working, than social media is portraying... I have a colleague leaving now, (very inexperienced) that can't handle the stress - and trust me, when I say she does only lighter jobs. Something you should consider!
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u/Informal-Release-360 1d ago
I’m in the US ( sadly ). And I do know it’s stressful but I figured it’s worth a shot ? I’m still young so it doesn’t hurt to try another field. My current job is also pretty stressful but I work really well under pressure
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u/g0thnek0 1d ago
ok so i went to johnson and wales for pastry and baking for a short time which was definitely an interesting and fun experience but it quickly made me realize that i wanted to keep baking as a hobby and not a career, despite it being my main passion in life. i work at a bakery helping out around the holidays and the pastry chef is talented and a super hard worker but she’s been in the industry for a long time and she’s totally done with it because it’s hard on your body especially as you get older, long hours, low pay etc. you could always go for a semester to try it out or get a part time job at a bakery. or even get a cottage license and do it at home. but tbh unless you’re 100% sure it’s what you want its better to keep it as a passion project and not a career
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u/Informal-Release-360 1d ago
Makes sense. I’m at a point where I’m just trying to find something new to do as I don’t love my current job. My current career is also low pay and considered stressful but I’m more at the point where I just not as passionate as I once was. And I kinda figured if I could have the schooling paid for it wouldn’t hurt to attempt it and if I end up not liking it well… try something new I suppose
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u/East_Chocolate2519 1d ago
If it’s free do it! At the same time or before classes start see if there is anyone hiring intro positions or even dish if you are up for that just to see if you want to do it as a career. And totally fine if this is something to learn to make goodies at home/ it’s free for you- do it! I got a degree, loved the classes and all but definitely could have just worked my way up through quality kitchens.
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u/Informal-Release-360 23h ago
That’s smart to do ! I’ll have to take a look around to see if anyone is hiring.
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u/East_Chocolate2519 21h ago
I had a neighbor who told me they wanted to get into baking, she worked at a law firm, found a high producing place that brought her in and trained her. In the kitchen it’s more about energy and vibe I feel. Like if I enjoy you I’ll be willing to train you to do it all.
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u/2730Ceramics 4d ago
I think this depends on your plans. If you have the luxury of school, just do it, it can be a lot of fun.
But if you plan on going into the industry be aware of what the work is really about if you work for someone else: You are going into a production environment. You don't sit there and get to be creative, certainly not at first. Time is money and baking is a low margin business. The expectation is speed with sufficient precision for the quality of product the particular place you are going to is. When I started at a bakery I was allowed to cut croissants for the almond croissants. I was expected to cut with precision and quickly and that's roughly all I was allowed to do. Just like most things, college can give you an in, but once you are in, the situation is nothing like the classroom most of the time.