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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fiery Todd" data-source="post: 698333" data-attributes="member: 550">I, myself, have worked in the business for 11 years and have been a Kitchen Manager for the last two.Drawmack and many of the other posts have hit it right on the head.To add:-Don't fall in love with the cooking shows.  They represent ideal situations and conditions.  I'm not exagerating when I say that most of the time it's war.  If you don't feel frazzled by the end of the night, you weren't busy enough for the restaurant to have made any money.-Your ability to deal with stress means everything.  I read an aticle sometime ago that measured the stress level of professions based on the amount of deadlines one has to meet in a minute.  Number 1 was race car driver, Number 2 was a member of an ER staff, and Number 3 was a restaurant employee.  I heard a recent story that one of our competitor's Kitchen Manager got so frustrated that he threw a knife.  This isn't the first time I've heard this kind of story.-In the begining the money sucks.  However, once you've gained enough experience and your skills are top notch, the money should improve.  It all depends on you and the place you work for.  Busy restaurants obviously yield more money.  However, they're busy because the staff is solid in execution and thus, is likely paid well to be kept around.  In the long run, serving/bartending is where the real money is, but a great cook does well too.  Presently, I have no complaints about my salary, but then, I don't see myself driving a Jag anytime soon.On the flip side...-The hours may seem funky to some, but its one of the reasons why I enjoy the business.  They are long, but long hours reflect in your paycheck.  I'm not a 9 to fiver, and I can live with not having every weekend off.  I bet I sleep in more often than those who have a normal work week.  However, if you have a young family, or are with someone who has never worked in the business, I say forget it right now.  They're gonna resent you after a while.-If you are single, then there isn't a better job in the universe in order to meet interesting women, party, and enjoy the social scene.  It's great for networking too.  Being a cook/chef also means you'll make some pretty strong friendships.  There's a certain sense of comradarie that one can only get from working with people in stressful situations.  Great cooks are admired for their skills and cool under fire.  Nicknames like "Johnny Eight Arms" and "Leon la Rocha" are not uncommon.-I can't say that it's the most rewarding job in the world, but when you do succeed, there's no finer high.  Guest compliments and reactions are great too, but for me, it's the adrenline rush that get's me going.Basically, the business has its ups and downs like any other, but it really depends on what you choose to get from it.  Burn out is always a possibility, and I've come close a few times, but I can't imagine doing anything else in order to pay the rent (well, that's not entirely true).And boy can I drink. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /></blockquote>

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