We surveyed 8,929 culinary chefs to better understand the work environment and required skills of a typical culinary chef. Here are the results.
How much intelligence is required as a culinary chef?
Low
High
Working as a culinary chef typically doesn’t require the use of high levels of intelligence in daily tasks.
Can I learn to become a culinary chef?
Intrinsic Talent
Acquired Talent
A career as a culinary chef typically depends predominantly on qualities you can gain through experience, with a small aspect of skills you are born with.
Is it easy to get a job as a culinary chef?
Easy
Hard
It’s typically difficult to find a job as a culinary chef. If you’re curious about the numbers, check out the job market for culinary chefs.
Do culinary chefs work full-time or part-time?
79% of culinary chefs work in full-time roles while 21% work part-time.
Is being a culinary chef stressful?
Low
High
Stress is very commonplace for culinary chefs, contributing negatively towards career satisfaction.
Is being organized important as a culinary chef?
Low
High
Organization is considered a very important trait for culinary chefs, and is critical to success in the field.
How competitive is the workplace for culinary chefs?
Low
High
Culinary chefs tend to see lots of competition in the workplace, with desire to get ahead of co-workers being common.
Does being a culinary chef require frequent time pressure to complete tasks?
Low
High
Culinary chefs will see frequent time pressure on the job, likely contributing to an occasionally stressful work environment.
Are culinary chefs allowed to express themselves creatively?
Low
High
Creativity is intrinsic to being a culinary chef, and a highly valuable part of the career.
Do culinary chefs have control over the direction of their work?
Low
High
While sometimes the direction is set, occasionally culinary chefs will have some flexibility over the direction of their work.
Is being a culinary chef physically demanding?
Low
High
Being a culinary chef requires significant physical work, and is not a career for those unable to perform continuous and/or strenuous physical activity.
Are culinary chefs exposed to a wide variety of work?
Low
High
The workload of a culinary chef changes frequently, with their day-to-day rarely being the same.
Does being a culinary chef require attention to detail?
Low
High
Attention to detail is a vital skill for culinary chefs, as small mistakes can make or break one's ability to succeed in the career.
Does being a good culinary chef require compassion and empathy?
Low
High
The ability to be compassion and empathetic isn't considered fundamental to success as a culinary chef.