# jc or culinary school??



## bayarea1984 (Dec 10, 2002)

hi everyone i'm new to the forums and have a small question. i'm 18 and have wanted to be a chef ever since i can remember. i am now at the point where i am going to be going to culinary school within the next 6 months and am wanting advice. i want to end up in high end establishments (ex. not bar and grill) and am wondering if getting a 2 year asociate degree from a junior college would be good enough to get into that field?....i'm either considering my local junior college that is supposed to have a good 2 year culinary program or i'm thinking of either the CIA or NECI...i'm sure that the cia and neci will look alot better on a resume but would it stop me from getting hired if i got the one from a jc instead?..the 40 grand i would save would be nice but i want to take the right route that will get me where i want to go if that makes any sense.....thanks in advance for any advice.

shaun


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

Hi, Shaun, and welcome! Believe it or not, you are NOT the first to ask this question.  Read through the threads on this board, and you will find many responses, representing all views. No one claims to have the one right answer, but you'll be able to make a much more informed decision.


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## culinarian247 (Jan 21, 2002)

I'll help you out as much as possible. First I need to know where you want to go to school (if it's not where you live). There's some good chefs coming out of jc's that are/were in prominent positions. You need not attend CIA or Johnson & Wales to become a fine dining chef. That comes from your time and dedication. That comes from a personal sense of pride in your work. You must ask yourself if you are capable and willing to do that kind of work. That comes from within you. Most anyone here can tell you that I wrestled with the same decision you are now. (By the way all, thank you 4 putting up with me  ) So before you mortgage the house and sell a kidney (that plus $10k is the going price for school) do *PLENTY* of research and do not set your heart on any one school.


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## bayarea1984 (Dec 10, 2002)

hey guys thanks for the replys. i did use thee search button for junior colleges and couldnt find my answer, otherwise i wouldnt of asked as i know from other forums on how annoying it can be. the school i'm interested in is the santa rosa junior college or the new england culinary institute. i like how neci has very small classes and also they have you working in restaurants within the first few months from what i've heard. the srjc also has a good program but larger classes and no restaurant or externships. the neci would cost me somewhere in the range of 40k and the jc would be around 5...maybe less. my grandma might pay for half of it but that still leaves me 20 grand to pay back so i'm not sure about it.


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## culinarian247 (Jan 21, 2002)

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess you to be in the San Francisco area. That being said, if I has someone shelling out half for my schooling it would be a tough decision. Normally. If you are in the area consider City College of San Franciso as another school. NECI _is_ a good school, I won't lie. In fact most of the private schools are good. Price keeps the majority of people out of them. Why they charge so doggone much beats the mess out of me. My choice, go to either the school you mentioned or CCSF.

BTW, most jc info is called "community college". I hope that helps ou further.


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## bayarea1984 (Dec 10, 2002)

i used to live in colorado and i was just looking at the CMC (colorado mountain college) and they have a 3 year associates degree in culinary arts with a 1 year apprenticeship(sp?). they said you will do 850 classroom hours and 6000 hours in a professional kitchen. they have 12 restaurants that you work in and they also say that they have small classes so you will get a more personal education. they have 2 campuses, one in vail and the other in keystone, and the best part, it's under a grand a year to go to. take a look at their website and tell me what you guys think.

http://www.coloradomtn.edu/programs/cua/home.html


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## culinarian247 (Jan 21, 2002)

That seems like a really good school. From what I've seen it looks nice. I'm gonna read some more and tell you more of what I think about it.


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