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Skilled Trades

Cooks, Short Order

Prepare and cook to order a variety of foods that require only a short preparation time. May take orders from customers and serve patrons at counters or tables.

Median salary (BLS)

$35,880

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$23k – $46k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Plan a path to Cooks, Short Order

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Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Cooks, Short Order" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Cooks, Short Order

    Entry / Junior

    $23,440

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Cooks, Short Order

    Established

    $35,880

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Cooks, Short Order

    Senior

    $41,170

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Clean food preparation equipment, work areas, and counters or tables.
  • •Restock kitchen supplies, rotate food, and stamp the time and date on food in coolers.
  • •Complete orders from steam tables, placing food on plates and serving customers at tables or counters.
  • •Plan work on orders so that items served together are finished at the same time.
  • •Grill, cook, and fry foods such as french fries, eggs, and pancakes.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Skilled Trades

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.