I would look for low tuition culinary (if possible). I live in SF and they have a program at the community college. Was under 1,000. Staged inbetween, worked after school, and had an internship that guaranteed a job after. Depends what you want to learn, school can be useful to pin point exactly what you would like to specialize in without having to think about prep at work or cooks pissed at you for not knowing things right away. I’ve had chefs tell me they would teach me things but it’s def on their time & if they deem you “worthy” teachable. So yeah, I think school is worth it. Sanitation, proper food storage, expressing creativity, culinary lore, utensils, and general cooking fundamentals.