Culinary Arts Colleges
How to Pick the Right One Near Juneau Alaska
Becoming a chef by enrolling in a culinary school near Juneau AK is a wonderful career choice. Not only will you learn how to create spectacular meals or make fancy desserts, you'll also be able to make a nice income doing it. However, now that you've decided, just how do you go about selecting a culinary college? What criteria should you consider and compare among the contending cooking colleges before arriving at your final selection? In order to be successful in the restaurant and hospitality industry you must choose the right culinary program and degree. There are a multitude of alternatives to choose from, beginning with a certificate or diploma program and progressing to earning an undergraduate or even a graduate degree. You can attend a small baking school, an online program, or enroll in a renowned culinary institute that provides advanced degree programs. The kind of degree and school you pick will probably be based on how much time and money you can afford to spend, together with your ultimate career objective. After you have decided what your main area of interest and budget are, you can begin examining the culinary arts schools that satisfy your preliminary requirements. Depending on the degree and type of culinary school you decide on, you can be employed as a professional cook or chef in just 6 months. So before we dig more into the method of choosing a school, let's talk a little bit more about the degree and culinary school options that are available.
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Cooking School Degree Options
Just as with many other professions or trades in Juneau AK, there are a variety of degree programs that are offered in the culinary arts. At the most basic level, you can enroll in a nearby cooking course, which are more casual in nature and can run from a few hours to several weeks. Often a certificate or a diploma is presented after completion. They can be comprehensive in nature, such as demonstrating how to cook French dishes, or they may be quite specific and concentrate on one dish, for instance Crepes Suzette. Of course if you are looking for a more conventional education geared towards a career in the restaurant industry, you will most likely want to pursue a degree program. With a degree program, you will be obligated to commit significantly more time.
- Associate's Degrees can require anywhere from 6 months to two years to complete.
- Bachelor's Degrees usually require as much as 4 years of instruction.
- Masters Degrees can take an added 2 years or more after attaining a Bachelor's.
Even more advanced training options may be available, such as Doctoral or specialized programs offered by culinary arts institutes. Probably the most important issue to bear in mind when deciding on which degree to strive for is ensuring that it supplies the degree and education needed to advance your ultimate career objectives.
Cooking Institutes
When you have made your decision regarding the type of training and degree that you would like to pursue, you can start your search for the culinary arts school, college or institute that offers it. For instance, if your desire is to become a chef specializing in Spanish cuisine, then naturally you will focus on those colleges that furnish the appropriate training. Or you can choose an institute based on its reputation or other criteria (we'll review several of those later) and then pick the most suitable degree program offered that is consistent with your career goals in Juneau AK. However you arrive at your decision, culinary arts schools basically fit within 3 different categories:
- Cooking Schools. Certain cooking schools do offer degree programs, but generally they offer diplomas or certificates. Their courses tend to be more specialized in nature, and they can range anywhere from a couple of months to as long as 3 to 4 years.
- Community Colleges. Local community colleges tend to be more affordable than most private schools and many have excellent programs. They almost solely offer Associate's Degrees and are founded and maintained by either local or state governments.
- Culinary Arts Schools and Institutes. The advanced training and degrees are offered by culinary arts schools and institutes. A few institutes provide the most respected and highest standard of training in academia. But bear in mind, since they are private schools they generally can be more expensive than their public counterparts, some a lot more.
Choosing a culinary school will not only be based on the type of program or degree you want to pursue, but also how much you have to spend on your education. If you decide to attend a public school to lower costs, remember that out-of-state residents normally have to pay a higher tuition than in-state residents. Also, a lot of community colleges and regional public schools have lower tuition charges for local residents. So don't forget to look into the public options within Alaska and also within the Juneau AK area to discover the most affordable options.
Culinary Online Colleges
Many prospective students may discover that there are no culinary arts institutes that are within travelling proximity of their Juneau AK home. One option is to enroll in online training within the comfort of one's residence. The practicality and flexibility makes it the one solution for some students that continue working full time while going to school. Plus there are more schools online than ever that are accredited. Keep in mind that a significant portion of the training will be furnished through an externship. Externships are programs where students work with local chefs or other cooking professionals to ensure that they receive practical training outside of the internet classroom. Just make certain that the online college you choose is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged organization (more on this later). Therefore if you are dedicated enough to be able to participate in classes and study in this more independent manner, obtaining a cooking degree online may be the best choice for you.
Contrasting Cooking Colleges
At this point you should have made a decision regarding the type of degree that you want to attain, and whether or not you want to enroll in a public or private institution. Since there a large number of culinary arts colleges in the Juneau area and across the USA, you will want to create a checklist of essential qualifications so that you can begin narrowing down your options. Certain obvious qualifiers, such as location and cost are a good place to begin. But selecting a school because it is the closest or the most affordable is not the optimal way to decide on your education. There are other variables, such as reputation and accreditation that you must evaluate also. So following are some critical areas that you should investigate for every school as you compare and contrast them and make your final selection.
Accreditation. It's very important that the cooking college you decide on has some type of accreditation from either a regional or a national authority. As mentioned previously, the accrediting organization should be a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged authority, for instance the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a comprehensive assessment regarding their course of study, instructors and facilities. Therefore not only does accreditation help establish that you will receive exceptional training, but it may also assist in obtaining a student loan or financial assistance which are often not offered for non-accredited schools.
Age. Recently established schools frequently have the benefit of having modern facilities and equipment. However, they may not have been operating long enough to garner an accreditation or to cultivate a reputation. Conversely, more established schools may still be using their original, dated equipment, but have established a long history of excellence and obtained one or more accreditations. Also, the longer a school has been in operation, the more graduates the school can reach out to for its job placement program. Naturally there is some give and take based on the age of the cooking schools. And older, more highly regarded schools typically update their facilities and equipment. The valuable takeaway is that in the best case scenario, your chosen school will have an outstanding reputation, accreditation and a state-of-the-art facility with newer equipment.
Job Placement Rates. First off, find out what the graduation rates are for the culinary arts programs you are examining. Low graduation rates are indications that many students were dissatisfied with either the colleges or the training and quit before graduating. They might also suggest that the instructors were not qualified to teach the curriculum. Ask the schools to furnish their job placement rates as well. If a college has a higher job placement rate, it will help validate that it has a good or exceptional reputation within the cooking community, as well as a large network of professional relationships. Be wary of any school that will not provide this information.
Location. The cooking school that you attend must be within driving distance of your Juneau home, unless you are able to relocate. You may think about attending college online, but you would still have to travel for your externship training. Alternatively, maybe you have opted to go to a particular culinary arts school located in a different state because of its ranking and programs offered. It would be a wise decision to check out the facility before enrolling, to make sure that you are comfortable with the area and your potential living conditions. Check the training facilities in person to make certain they are modern and that the equipment is state of the art. Consider also that many schools concentrate their job assistance programs within their regional communities, so choose a location where you will satisfied working.
Class Sizes. The best method to learn how to cook is with plenty of personalized training. If the culinary arts college you enroll in has bigger classes, you will most likely get limited individual attention from the teachers. The best means to assess the interaction and communication between faculty and students is to sit in on several of the classes. Ask some of the students what their experience has been. Ascertain if they are pleased with the amount of attention they receive in class as well as the overall training. Also, talk with some of the instructors and find out what their teaching philosophies are along with their histories and credentials.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no benefit to in enrolling in a cooking institute if you will be unable to attend the classes. So confirm that the school you pick offers class scheduling that can fit in with your hectic lifestyle. If you can only attend in the evening or on weekends near Juneau AK because of your work schedule, check that the school you choose offers either weekend or evening classes. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, check that the culinary arts program has a part-time option. Also, find out what the make-up protocol is if you need to miss a class due to family, work or other commitments.
Find Out More About Chef Schools in Juneau
Enroll in the Right Juneau Cooking School
A successful career in the hospitality and restaurant business is contingent upon picking the ideal culinary arts program. As we have covered, there are various things that you should take into account when researching schools, such as their reputations, accreditation, and training facilities. Just like any career decision, you should begin by gathering information, and the optimal method to accomplish that is by contacting cooking institutes directly, either in person or over the phone. If you're not sure about which schools to explore, you might need to consider consulting with chefs in your area about any culinary arts colleges they endorse. Then go on the Web to look into these schools even more before contacting them. By making the effort to carefully evaluate each of your education alternatives, you will find yourself in a more ideal position to make an enlightened decision. And when you pick the perfect school, you will have a great beginning toward your goal of becoming a chef in Juneau Alaska.