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Bakers

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Mix and bake ingredients to produce breads, rolls, cookies, cakes, pies, pastries, or other baked goods.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $37,160 Median per year · $17.86/hr Most earn $28,120–$49,020

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Direct or coordinate bakery deliveries.
  • Order or receive supplies or equipment.
  • Decorate baked goods, such as cakes or pastries.
  • Check products for quality, and identify damaged or expired goods.
  • Combine measured ingredients in bowls of mixing, blending, or cooking machinery.
  • Adapt the quantity of ingredients to match the amount of items to be baked.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
6% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 36,500 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Bakeries and tortilla manufacturing30.1%
  • Grocery and specialty food retailers23.1%
  • Self-employed (their own business)10.1%
  • General merchandise retailers5.2%
  • Full-service restaurants4.5%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Bakers usually need a high school diploma and on-the-job training, and most people build up to this job over about 1 to 2 years of related work experience. Many start out in entry-level food jobs and learn baking on the job.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finish high school, taking math and any food, culinary, or family consumer science classes you can, since measuring and food safety skills matter in baking.

  2. Food Batchmakers

    1-3 months

    Start in a food production job where you learn to follow recipes, measure ingredients, and keep equipment and work areas clean and safe.

  3. Cooks, Restaurant

    3-6 months

    Work in a restaurant or café kitchen to learn timing, portioning, and working under pressure, and to practice baking tasks when they come up.

  4. Baker

    1-2 years

    Gain experience mixing dough, baking, decorating, and checking quality until you can produce baked goods on your own with little supervision.

Where it can lead

  1. Head Baker

    3-5 years of experience first

    You take charge of a bakery's baking schedule, recipes, and staff, and you train others and check product quality.

  2. Chefs and Head Cooks

    2-4 years of experience first

    Moving into a kitchen leadership role usually means running menus, managing kitchen staff and budgets, and often completing an associate degree in culinary arts.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take family and consumer sciences or foods classesThese courses teach measuring, recipe following, and kitchen safety, which are the basics of baking.
  • Take math classes, especially fractions and measurementBaking depends on exact measurements and scaling recipes up or down, so strong math skills help a lot.
  • Get a part-time job in a food settingA job at a grocery store bakery, café, or restaurant gives you real kitchen experience and a reference for future jobs.
  • Join a school cooking or FFA-style clubClubs with food projects let you practice teamwork and try baking challenges outside of class.
  • Volunteer in a community kitchen or food bankHelping prepare food for groups builds experience with large batches and food safety.

In college

  • Take food science or culinary coursesClasses in food science, nutrition, or culinary arts teach the chemistry behind baking and the safety rules bakeries follow.
  • Work a campus dining or bakery jobCampus food service jobs give you paid kitchen experience and often let you help with baking or prep.
  • Get a food handler or food safety certificateMany places ask for this card, and it shows employers you already know safe food practices.
  • Intern or work at a local bakeryHands-on time in a real bakery teaches the pace, equipment, and daily routine you will see in the job.
  • Join a campus food or culinary clubClubs let you practice baking, meet people in the field, and learn about jobs you might not find otherwise.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask a local bakery, grocery store bakery, or café whether you can volunteer or work a part-time shift, since hands-on experience is what employers look for.
  • Practice recipes at home and keep a simple photo log of your bakes, which can help show your skills when you apply for jobs.
  • Learn basic food safety rules early, such as handwashing and safe food handling, because most food employers expect them.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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