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NOT so long ago, in a beautiful country like the Philippines, there
were enough chefs and nurses to go around.
But there is a huge scarcity of chefs just like
doctors and nurses in the health-care industry.
The day I decided to become a chef, I pledged it
to be more than just my profession, but to be what I am about.
The desire for such appetite is not just about a
good meal anymore, not about a staple diet, it now has to do with
lifestyle. These have caused trends to change, turning it to
reality.
When one couldn’t qualify in most jobs, there
was still the door to the kitchen wide open, from a steward to the
prestigious position of a chef de cuisine.
It’s entirely possible with hard work. It
takes years and constant training to be a real master in your craft.
This is of no difference in the kitchen world. Degrees and titles
can be earned but it still demands the right knowledge.
You get opportunities from people around you to
do photo shoots with big celebrities, it gives your profession a
more glamorous flair.
You can even write your own cookbook, have your
own restaurant, and of course, even host your own TV show. It is a
profession that takes you around the world and allows you to live
just as long as there is a need for a culinary expertise. The
possibilities are endless.
So what do all these have to do with the nursing
profession? It’s simple.
Just like the nurses, it is crucial to keep
them, not to lose them, to other upcoming and more rewarding offers
from overseas.
The statistics suggest that a million more
Filipinos are leaving the Philippines every year to follow their
dream by accepting more lucrative job offers, hoping to venture into
a more prosperous future because there is a huge and constantly
growing demand for nurses and chefs.
These latest hip and upcoming working
environments are China, Beijing in particular, Macau, the cruise
industry and lately Australia.
Why leave the country
with 7,100 beautiful islands? What is left is a nation with a
vacuum. This reality just forces us to reproduce more chefs to
satisfy this huge appetite of international job agencies.
And again, here is the similarity. Culinary
institutes and nursing colleges are among the students’ favourite
choices.
What is the downside here? The Philippines is
missing out on qualified doctors and chefs.
It has been a common practice now that graduated
doctors are going back to the university to become a nurse, working
overseas, earning more money and obtaining a green card.
A’s for chefs?
They are forced into simple jobs, easily taught,
without the outlook of a real bright future, because they missed out
on learning the basics in more than just one field in the kitchen.
So they become stagnant. And by the time they return to the
Philippines, they have five or ten years of experience in a small
segment of the kitchen world but are still lacking the ability to
teach and prepare their new, fellow successors with a broader
knowledge.
So if you ask me, what advice can I give to
those faces with this question; which profession should I take?
Seek a school, a university or culinary
institute that teaches you more than just the basics. Look for one
that talks and show you opportunities and see them actually being
delivered. An institute that demands a commitment from you, and is
honest about the truth, that it takes time and a broad training
spectrum to be a great chef.
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