Baking Schools in the U.S.

Baking School Offers Professional Skills and Training

If you're thinking about becoming a baker, school can help you turn your perfect pie crusts and delicious desserts into a business. In addition to being proficient in the kitchen, professional bakers may need to manage a staff, order ingredients, meet food safety regulations, and balance account books. You can learn these skills and more at baking school.

There are a variety of degrees you can pursue to become a professional baker. Schools specializing in baking and pastry arts often offer diplomas, certificates, associate's degrees, and bachelor's degrees. While diploma and certificate programs can be completed fairly quickly, their scope is more limited. If you want to acquire the management and business skills that are necessary to open your own or manage a bakery, earning a degree can give you the well-rounded skills you need.

Baking School: Is It Worth the Dough?

Many of the skills you learn in baking school can be picked up in the kitchen during summer externships or on-the-job training. Some critics wonder if shelling out for an expensive baking school program is worth it, especially since salaries in the industry--particularly for new bakers--can be low.

Choosing to attend baking school doesn't have to leave you penniless, however. Culinary programs are offered at a number of price points--so you'll likely find one that fits your budget.

If the decision is not that easy to make, research your options. A culinary school directory breaks down the schools by state and programs (the most common is baking and pastry arts) available. Start by choosing a few different schools and explore what the costs will be. There are also many financial aid and scholarship options available that can make programs more affordable.

Salary Expectations: How You Can Command More

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary you can expect as a baker is about $22,000. Salaries vary by a number of factors, including the following:

• The industry you choose. Restaurant or supermarket bakeries may provide more regular hours and dependable income, but head bakers in large hotels or entrepreneurs may have higher salary potential.
• The special skills you have. Are you a specialist in French pastry? Can you decorate cakes that belong in museums? Find your niche and strive for perfection.
• Where you live. Culinary/baking hot spots, such as New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, can offer higher wages. Other top paying metro areas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, are: Nassau-Suffolk, NY; Stockton, CA; Tacoma, WA; Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, CA; Auburn-Opelika, AL
• Your education level. Obtaining certification or a degree from a baking school can assure employers you have sufficient skills--something that will be quite appealing in this fast-paced job field.

Whether you gain your baking skills through a baking school or apprenticeship, becoming a top baker requires learning from others, practicing your skills, and following your heart--or your stomach.