Becoming a baking and pastry professional can lead you down a number of different avenues. You can work at a small shop or a large hotel or commercial production facility. You can also specialize or be a generalist, knowing a wide range of baking and pastry skills. Eventually you will probably tend to narrow your skills and expertise.
This profession is one of the oldest and has a rich history and tradition. Of course much of it comes from France, but other regions of Europe and the rest of the world produced baked goods for ages.
If you are looking to become a part of this fine profession there are many paths you can take, from having your own small bakery to do research and development for large multi-national food corporations.
For even the lowliest positions, experience and education are important. Most all employers look to hire someone with a culinary education and degree. They assume someone with the proper training will save them hours of on the job training. Besides book work, all baking and pastry schools provide many hours of hands on training.
Besides a good training you will need to work and gain experience in the field. It is very important to pick the places you work with care. Sometimes pay is not the most important consideration. You need to think of your career as taking steps up a ladder, so be sure to think carefully that the next job you take will move you up the ladder to improve your career.
While starting your training, or moving up in your career, keep in mind that the baking and pastry profession is a vast field with an amazingly wide variety of niche markets to work in. Take the time to learn where your skills can take you and should have an excellent career.