What is Culinary School worth?

I came across this story the other day: SAN FRANCISCO — Cameron Cuisinier's dreams of a catering career led him to culinary school. Now he's unemployed and $43,000 in debt, and he's not alone. From TV chefs to reality shows where the winners get their own restaurants, it's a hot time to be in the kitchen. Record numbers of would-be chefs are enrolling in culinary schools, some of which charge $20,000 a year or more. At first glance, the obvious question that popped into my mind was "Are culinary schools worth it?" But upon reflection, the value of the education that these schools provide is only one part of the education. The worth of anything is determined by the consumer of the product or service. The seller in turn only puts out a price that they know they can get. When taking this thought into account, my question then turned into "Do the students and graduates of these schools know what they are getting into?" When investing in education, I was told to take into account how ...  more