Become a Baker

!: Become a Baker

Bakers are individuals who prepare and produce baked goods, including such foods as bread, pastries, cookies, cakes, pies, etc. Many bakers work in small bakeries or specialty shops, where they will make small quantities of baked goods for consumers. Creativity is often required for bakers in this setting, because customers will order specialty items, such as wedding and birthday cakes, baked and decorated to order. Other bakers work in large-scale manufacturing operations, where they use high-volume industrial equipment to mass-produce larger amounts of product in a short timeframe. Many of these types of items are then sold through distributors, grocery stores, or manufacturers' outlets. Opportunities for advancement in the profession include becoming a bakery supervisor, production manager, or owning one's own bakery business.

Education, Certification, Licensing

An advanced education is not required to become a baker, but it is certainly helpful. A prospective baker would be smart to look for high school or community college courses in the culinary arts. An even better move would be to apply to a culinary school. Most bakers start out as apprentices or trainees and acquire experience through on-the-job training. An aspiring baker should consider applying to a specialty bakery to become an apprentice or to a supermarket to become a bakery trainee. Through education and experience, a baker will need to acquire knowledge of nutrition, baking and production processes, government health and sanitation regulations, ingredients (how they mix and how they are affected by heat), and machinery (how to operate and maintain). Those who aspire to own their own bakery also need to acquire business and accounting skills.

While not mandatory, a useful credential for a baker to obtain is certification from the Retail Bakers of America (RBA). An RBA certification validates the knowledge, skills, and abilities of a professional baker and will likely increase his/her job opportunities and income. Four different levels of certification are available. Those who wish to become certified must satisfy a combination of education and experience requirements, depending on the level of certification desired.