There’s an excerpt out from his book Medium Raw about whether anyone interested in cooking should go to school for it or not. The chapter is called So You Wanna Be a Chef, but really, it applies to advertising and managing your career as much as anything. No matter what field you’re in, the gist of it is this: You better fucking love it—because too many times, it don’t love you. Perfect grammar aside, no matter what career you love, the article really is a must-read. His main point mirrors the dynamic found in advertising and how the wrong choices students make right out of school can haunt them down the road financially as well as professionally. He prefers *education* in the real world first—then decide whether to go to school or not.
I was *that* guy, having learned a lot working my way up to cook while still in high school, but I also knew I was only going to be able to learn so much without a formal education. Coin flipped, hello design. Can ad students get away with skipping school and jumping into an agency? Good luck. There’s so much specialization now that I doubt anyone could, especially someone focused on a technical discipline (like programming), could.
To this end, he thinks kids would do better to slum it and claw their way into the best restaurants while working for free. (Sounds like an internship at top ad agencies.) Everything else about the lifestyle is dead on, especially the drugs. His regrets become cautionary tales if you don’t care where you end up.
Luck apparently plays a part too, as it does with creatives. He’d be the first to say it was anything but that he was the one sharing a meal with Bill Murray instead of being a 53-old chef cooking their meal.
(Via.)
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1 comment:
His message about avoiding debt is useful to anyone.
I really do like reading Bourdain's books. He's got a direct, concise writing style that is incredibly refreshing.
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