Please help with life altering decision

[BizzleLuvin]

my mom was in a similar boat.
she had gotten a bad case carpal tunnel from years of cleaning teeth, which she loved. she was demoted to hygeine assistant which demanded less from her hands. she hated it.
my mom worked for the same company for 11 years and cleaned teeth for about 20 something years, then got demoted to the unrespectable job of handing younger hygienists tools. so she decided to go back to school. her bosses took notice and fired her, they suspected she would lose interest in being an assistant which is a boring, demeaning job for such an experienced and talented woman.
anyway, she's now studying to be a physicians assistant becuse she loves helping people. she completed the program while assisting hygeine, making less and less mony and taking up part-time jobs when she got fired. we were basically living off my father's income for about two years.
then she landed a great job as a hygeinist at an old folks home. she worked less but got paid almost as much as she had before, cleaning old folks teeth. it demanded less work and allowed her to take time to study.
unfortunately, its been a year and a half extra of her not getting into the PA program which is ludicrous. my mother is an extremely driven, compassionate, talented, able woman who exceeds at everything she applies. its just her age ans mediocre grades she got in college 30 some years ago that deterrs employers. like i said, ludicrous.
she is now working part time and taking classes for the third time in order to erase the bad grades she got 30 years ago. we are living off my fathers income for the most part, which isnt so bad seeing as i am in college and by brother is soon to be as well.
anyway, i advise you to persue your dreams. we met many hard times but always lived thru it. my mom is proud of herself and we see a future for her now.

[benagain]

Well whatever you do, good luck :thumbsup:

[VaporDaddy]

maybe open up ur own resturant ?

This has always been a dream for me but with 2 young kids...impossible. Mabey later on in life.:jointsmile:

[evan5502]

I would definately take the money, to me that would be like winning the lottery. But I dont know how tough it is to find a good job in the real world so dont listen to me.

[NextLineIsMine]

I say go for it man, as scary as they can be we sometimes need to make some radical changes. Who wants to spend their life doing something they hate? Something like 55% of Americans are in jobs they hate but do them simply because they are afraid to leave the relative security they have at the time.

The payout should easily keep you on your feet long enough to get comfy with something new

[napolitana869]

I like the name you came up with. Who doesnt want a feast?

[Fengzi]

You sound a lot like me VaporDaddy. I also love to cook and have dreamed of being a chef. Also, like you, one of the big things that has kept me away was the thought of the hours and basically never seeing my family again. Fortunately though, I have a pretty good job which I don't hate but..well..let's just say that if I won the lottery I'd be gone in a flash.

One other thing you may look into, like Villui already mentioned is opening your own resturant. To avoid the dreaded "chef's hours", however, you might think of going lunch only. Depending on where you live and the industry around you, this might be a pretty good option. I work in the middle of the Silicon Valley in an area dominated by the high tech industry and shitloads of office buildings. There are quite a few lunch only places around and they do a booming business. They key is locating yourself in an area that has enough lunch time traffic to make it viable. Also, I've noticed that these places do best when they have some kind of catch, something sepcial that differentiates them from the rest and brings more customers in.

The personal chef idea is good too, and another one I have thought of for myself. Not to sure about the name "Affordable Feasts" though. I haven't really looked into this, so you probably have more insight into the industry than me. My initial thought, however, is that the typical clientele for a personal chef would generaly be somewhat affluent. For these folks, throwing a fancy dinner party, affordability may not be as big a factor as the image obtained by having a personal chef. For someone looking for bragging rights, the "affordable" part of the name might actually be a turn-off. Then again, I might be way off. Plus, with the right marketing, you might just develop a whole new market for this service and the name "affordable feasts" would be perfect. Just something to consider.

[VaporDaddy]

You sound a lot like me VaporDaddy. I also love to cook and have dreamed of being a chef. Also, like you, one of the big things that has kept me away was the thought of the hours and basically never seeing my family again. Fortunately though, I have a pretty good job which I don't hate but..well..let's just say that if I won the lottery I'd be gone in a flash.

One other thing you may look into, like Villui already mentioned is opening your own resturant. To avoid the dreaded "chef's hours", however, you might think of going lunch only. Depending on where you live and the industry around you, this might be a pretty good option. I work in the middle of the Silicon Valley in an area dominated by the high tech industry and shitloads of office buildings. There are quite a few lunch only places around and they do a booming business. They key is locating yourself in an area that has enough lunch time traffic to make it viable. Also, I've noticed that these places do best when they have some kind of catch, something sepcial that differentiates them from the rest and brings more customers in.

The personal chef idea is good too, and another one I have thought of for myself. Not to sure about the name "Affordable Feasts" though. I haven't really looked into this, so you probably have more insight into the industry than me. My initial thought, however, is that the typical clientele for a personal chef would generaly be somewhat affluent. For these folks, throwing a fancy dinner party, affordability may not be as big a factor as the image obtained by having a personal chef. For someone looking for bragging rights, the "affordable" part of the name might actually be a turn-off. Then again, I might be way off. Plus, with the right marketing, you might just develop a whole new market for this service and the name "affordable feasts" would be perfect. Just something to consider.

Thanks for the feedback. Actually a personal chef mainly prepares meals in one day to cover a clients dinners for a week or 2. The chef prepares all the dishes and side dishes to be finished off and reheated by the client as per the chefs instructions. The main clientelle would be working families who don't have the time to cook a good dinner.:jointsmile:

[Skink]

Well if your going to make it as a personal chef you either have to be a really good chef or a great cook with personality and perseverance... jobs won't come around if you burn the quiche without a backup...

Backup Plan!!! look into some thing sure as a backup... I don't know what it is like there but here if you have a truck setup for lunch or hot dogs you can make a living,,,just a backup thought... you worked in a factory then you are probably good with your hands maybe some electrical knowledge from relays and stuff on the factory equipment... With a little DIY in your blood you can maybe think of appliance repair,,,pretty easy work and pays well...

[Villui]

This has always been a dream for me but with 2 young kids...impossible. Mabey later on in life.:jointsmile:

yeah man just wait till they get a little older :jointsmile: