Graduates share experiences with SYB’s 9th batch of students

海上青焙坊往届毕业生与第九届学生交流经验

On March 12th, four graduates came to school to share their experiences after graduation with the 9th batch of SYB students. Even though the second semester just started, graduation is approaching; from July onwards, students will have to design their own career path. They have to start thinking about what they would like to do and some advice from the graduates can be really helpful. This year, the graduates are coming from different working environments: Ma Mingzi is a night-shift baker at the Peninsula Hotel, Jin Huitao is a sous chef at Village127, Shi Ruijian is a junior baker at Lesaffre and Jiang Kaisheng is a baker at Antony Bakery.

3月12日，四位上海青焙坊（SYB）往届毕业生来到学校与第九届SYB学生分享他们毕业以后的经历。虽然第二个学期才刚开始，但是学生们距离毕业越来越近了。从今年七月份开始，学生们要开始计划他们的职业道路。他们要开始考虑未来要做什么，所以往届毕业生的建议非常宝贵。今年参加交流的往届毕业生来自各个不同的工作环境。马民泽在上海半岛酒店担任夜班烘焙师，金会涛是Village 127咖啡厅的副厨师长，史瑞娟是乐斯福的一名初级烘焙师，蒋召生在安托尼面包房担任面包师。

In July, students will have a one-year intensive training and internship experience. In the beginning they will not be able to apply for high level positions. The first advice they received was to think clearly about the positions that they would like to apply for.  

今年七月，学生将开始为期一年的强化培训和实习工作。一开始，他们并不能申请高级别的职位。他们被建议要想清楚自己到底想要申请什么样的工作。

One other really important advice is to consider what they will be able to learn from their first job after graduation instead of looking at the salary as the most important factor. For students who would like to open their own bakery, they need to accumulate a lot of experience prior to realising their long-term plans.

另外一点非常重要的建议是，要好好考虑自己能从毕业之后的第一份工作中学到什么，而不是只看重薪资。那些想要自己开面包房的学生应该在实现长远计划之前积累尽量多的经验。

As all of the students are interns at Shanghai 5-star hotels or at high-quality bakeries, they had not imagined that other companies could offer them interesting positions. Indeed, Lesaffre, who is a world leader on yeast, needs technical developers, positions which are directly linked to what the students have been learning at Shanghai Young Bakers. Developing and testing recipes is also something they could think about. 

所有的学生都在上海的五星级酒店或者高级面包房实习，他们没想到其他公司也会招聘一些有意思的职位。比如，全球顶尖的酵母公司乐斯福需要技术开发员。这个职位与学生们在SYB学到的知识有直接的联系。开发和测试配方也是他们可以考虑的方向。

Although students say it is tough working at 5-star hotels, they can learn a lot from the experience. It is really motivating to be in a work environment where they can develop their skills by using their creativity to produce high-quality products. Students were also advised on the importance of having good relationships with their colleagues and chefs. Even when they leave their job, it is extremely important to maintain mutual respect and leave on good terms. Being recommended by a chef for a new position is always useful. 

虽然在五星级酒店工作很辛苦，但是学生们可以从中学到很多。能在一个可以创作出高质量作品和提高技能的环境中工作对于学生来说是一种强大的动力。他们还需要注重与同事和师傅的关系。哪怕是在他们离职的时候，也要与同事们互相尊重，好聚好散。申请新工作时能有主厨的推荐是再好不过的了。

At SYB we really cherish our relationships with our graduates. Most of them are still actively part of the SYB family and they are essential for our program’s sustainability. They are master bakers and pastry chefs and therefore are well-placed to share their experiences with our current students. Thanks to them, our students became more confident in what they are learning, in how they are learning it and in their career prospects after graduation. Their passion for bakery is growing every day and with effort and time, they will have this precious skill to lead independent lives.