Career
Chefs and head cooks
Run the kitchen and create the menu.
$62,470
Median pay
+6.6%
Job growth, 2025–35
25,200
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
- Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food.
- Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation.
- Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation.
- Inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on persuasion & leadership, then objects & tools?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Coordination, Monitoring, Social Perceptiveness, Management of Personnel Resources.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $62,470 a year and 25,200 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Cooking and Related Culinary Arts, GeneralCIP 12.0500
- Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry ChefCIP 12.0501
- Culinary Arts/Chef TrainingCIP 12.0503
- Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/ManagerCIP 12.0504
- Culinary Science/CulinologyCIP 12.0509
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Bakers$37,160 · +5.5%
- Cooks, Restaurant$37,390 · +12.1%
- Cooks, Private Household$47,940 · +5.1%
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria$37,450 · +2.8%
- Food Service Managers$69,390 · +5.8%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.