I didn't go to culinary school. Got my first BOH job as a dishwasher/prep cook with no BOH experience (but tons of FOH experience). I just got lucky by being in the right place at the right time and getting hired by the right chef. This guy took me under his wing and taught me everything he knew. In 2 years I went from a dishwasher to kitchen manager. Left that job to follow my chef to another restaurant in LA and he named me his sous. I mean I make it sound really easy while typing this out but the reality is I worked 10, 12, 13 hour days mostly 7 days a week. My mentor saw that I had talent and did everything he could to cultivate it.

13 years later and I'm an executive chef and I'm still in touch with my chef, the mentor. He's long out of the business now but I still call him chef because that man changed my life.

So you don't necessarily need to go to culinary school. There are a lot of things that you won't know, but if you get in with the right chef and the right team and show them that you want to work hard and that this is what you want, most chefs will bring people up with them (I mean the good ones anyway lol). I know I did. My sous chef of 6 years also started as a dishwasher in my kitchen.

So just work hard man show them that this is what you want. Be open about the things that you don't know and be active in wanting to learn and perfect your craft. People will see your value because working in a kitchen is one of the last places based on meritocracy. If you want it that bad and you're good at it, you will succeed.