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Cooks, Restaurant

Creates dishes and runs a kitchen.

Typical education to startNo formal educational credential
Job outlook2025–2035: +12%
Median pay$37,390 a year (2025)
Interest codeRCE Realistic, Conventional, Enterprising

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Chefs plan menus, cook, order food and lead a kitchen team. They work in restaurants, hotels, hospitals, schools and catering, and some open their own businesses. The hours are long, and the work is fast and hands-on.

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The guide checks the courses against your plan, with things to try each year. Free account needed.

High school courses that build toward it

  • Foods and Culinary · Career and Technical

    Builds growing food and raising animals, which this job uses.

  • English 10 · English

    Builds reading and writing, which this job uses.

  • Physical Education · Health and PE

    Builds teaching and training, which this job uses.

  • Pre-Algebra · Math

    Builds math, which this job uses.

  • U.S. History · Social Studies

    Builds reading and writing, which this job uses.

  • German · World Language

    Builds reading and writing, which this job uses.

Ranked by how much the job relies on what each course teaches, from O*NET's knowledge ratings. Your school's own courses and the counselor have the final word.

Cooks, Restaurant on O*NET OnLine · O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections 2025.