Culinary Career Change? How To Make It Happen

After our recent Mother’s Day Cake Baking and Decorating competition at International Culinary Studio, we discovered an abundance of unbelievably talented cake and patisserie artists all hiding in plain sight in offices all over New Zealand in corporate, admin, retail and reception roles.

For many reasons, there large numbers of people propping up corporate jobs that they fell into when they left school and 20 years later with bills to pay and children in school and tertiary education, the possibility of a career change to follow their dreams and passions, seems virtually impossible. Having things like excess money and time to leave good jobs and attend face-to-face tuition are not luxuries that career people with responsibilities have.

Most people over 40 stuck in jobs that they don’t like, feel like their window of opportunity for a complete career change has already passed them by. But, that is where they would be wrong.

The Rise of Blended Learning

As education currently undergoes its biggest revolution yet, the concept of blended learning is rapidly becoming a firm favorite amongst the mature student. Blended learning, a mix of self-directed study along with online learning and assessments, offers students the opportunity to lean other new skills along the way, such as IT skills, which will stand them in good stead going forward.

With blended learning, students are able to fit in their learning and assignments around their current work and family responsibility’s without taking time off to go to classes or leaving their full time jobs.

Making it an ideal opportunity for any mature student to get the skills and experience they need without putting their ability to manage their responsibility’s in jeopardy.

Blended Learning Culinary Success

One of our recent Distinction students, Chef Amy, is a full time Mum with a full time job and has just completed a Diploma in Baking and Patisserie, earning herself a distinction in the process. She has no fancy equipment “All of my cakes, bakes and other assignments have been made in my kitchen using a hand beater.”

Chef Amy is already inundated with orders for cakes for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and more. And she did not need to take any time off of work or sacrifice any of her family time to get her qualification.

As more and more education providers offer blended learning options to students, so too are they able to reach a wider demographic and offer students up-skill options from virtually any device anywhere in the world. Soon the Digital Nomad community will be filled with just as many learners as there are currently earners, as the entire landscape of learning embraces change.

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