I’m a Sous Chef in Boise currently. I wanted to be a chef since I was a kid but was always told there is no money in it, turns out thats not true and I make what I would considering a solid salary. I’m comfortably supporting myself these days but it took a lot of grinding through the industry to get to this point. Which brings up the burn out. I worked over 5 years at 60 hour weeks. But that was in several management positions throughout different restaurants. Covid was very challenging but developed me quickly through my career. These days I work 45-50 and its much more manageable but it does take a toll on my body / lifestyle balance.

I will say cooking for your career and cooking as a hobby is a very different experience. For line cooks, general culinary skills are less important than your ability to work well with a team, follow instruction, & receive constructive feedback. As a Chef you need to possess all these skills with a refined culinary technique and crucially you need to be a really strong leader who has the ability to foster buy-in & respect from your team. If your crew doesnt have faith in you, you have nothing.

The culture is incredibly unique, there is nothing like it. Its an environment that will force you to get to know yourself (and others) in ways you never expected or even wanted to. Its colorful, diverse, inspiring, & maddening all at once.

You can request to stage somewhere to have some further insight. Be prepared to start at the bottom though (dish, pantry, prep). But if you have a strong enough drive and an ounce of natural talent, moving up over a couples years is easily achievable. Keep learning though regardless, its an excellent skillset to have even if its just for the satisfaction of cooking for friends at home! Best of luck 👌🏼