Restaurant business today highly lacks professional cooks, and the number of  chef job offers is well above that of candidates.  So, if you wish to become a cook you have a lot of opportunities to make your dream come true.  Here are some steps you may follow to make a brilliant career and propel the corporate ladder, even starting from a dish-washer.

First, you should interview yourself.  It is very useful to pummel yourself with the questions related to the job desired.  You should check yourself to find out the personality traits needed to succeed at this position, to weigh all pros and cons of your character qualities aimed at revealing any psychological obstacles that could make your chef career-to-be impossible.  It is to be borne in mind that the number of recipes you know isn't a key to your success -- consumer demands are but short-lived, which inevitably leads to rapid changes in the menu and may put you into significant trouble.

The first and foremost quality a good cook should possess is infinite curiosity.  Don't limit yourself by cookbooks dog-earring.  Look for your own ways of cooking and mixing components.  Don't be afraid of experiments -- many well-known cookers owe their popularity to inventing new and unusual product mixes along with new exotic tastes.

If you want to get a chef job, you must forget about squeamishness.  Very often cooks have to taste raw meet or other unfinished products while cooking to try them out.

Good cooks mostly prefer by-hand work -- using no kitchen equipment.  It usually concerns beating eggs, mixing minced meat, kneading dough etc., which allows to feel the temperature or check the dish homogeneity and consistence.  By the way, it goes that this way of cooking fills the dish with the cook's positive energy. 

Another important feature disclosing a first-class cook is thrift.  You will never see a good chef throw out product remains -- they will be further re-used and, who knows, maybe even give birth to one more kitchen masterpiece. 

To crown it all, an applicant for a chef job should possess at least basic psychological feeling in order to detect the first sign of changes in consumers' demands.  And finally, he must be fond of cookery.

 Actually, you may get some special education.  There are certain schools that deal with chef training, the so-called culinary arts and chef training schools and colleges.  Though, a high school diploma is not required for beginning jobs, it is recommended for those planning a career as a cook or chef.  Apart from training itself, such establishments provide practical application of the knowledge got.  Large corporations in the food service and hotel industries also offer paid internships and summer jobs, which bring valuable experience.

Anyway, failing to possess at least some of the qualities mentioned you are running the risk of getting the wrong job even possessing a diploma.

Still, if you feel like becoming a cook the only thing to suggest is try yourself.  When applying for a chef job, try to show your best -- and you are sure to succeed.