Thousands of people from around the country aspire to one day be a successful baker. Many of those people watch the cake decorating shows on the Food Network channel knowing without a doubt in their mind that baking is their passion. A woman named Angela Chandia stood out among the rest. Chandia was once a former baker at Dessert Deli in Amherst, NY. She watched the cake decorating shows growing up, which gave her the inspiration to get her degree in culinary arts. Within her first year of ever working at a bakery, Chandia quickly discovered that baking is not the most pleasurable experience that it is made out to be.

Chandia does not stand not alone when it comes to not enjoying her job as much as she thought she would. How many people start a job and actually like what they are doing? According to the Washington Post, only 13% of employees worldwide are actively engaged in their job.

Chandia recalls the time she realized baking just was not for her, explaining the situation with a lost hope in her voice. “I can’t do this anymore,” she said. “I have hit my breaking point. I don’t mind the work, but when I’m short staffed and people keep giving me orders when I’m stressed, that is when I realized I was done.”

Chandia worked in her department at her bakery with about six other people. Towards the end of her career, the whole department became sick with an illness that kept them away from the bakery for a week. With Chandia being the only member of the department who was not sick, it was up to her to finish the orders for the week. Saturday is the busiest day of the week at the bakery, and this was the day that Chandia realized that baking was more stressful than expected. She received up to 20 orders in a single day, which is about double what she was comfortable with. She felt as if her manager did not care about her stress level, and only cared for how quickly the customer would be satisfied. Chandia could not believe that a place she walked into with such high hopes turned into a nightmare that devastated her when she walked out.

Another issue that can make baking seem less glamorous to people who think it’s all fun is the thought that every day a baker goes into work, he/she is putting his/her health at risk. “I would be standing over the stove melting caramel trying not to burn it,” Chandia says. “I would start to sweat, feeling dizzy. While I was doing that, I had to make sure nothing in the oven was burning, and that meant dealing with the heat from the oven also.”

According to an article from Columbia University, heat exhaustion can lead to headaches, weakness, and dehydration. Some cases become so extreme that they require medical attention. People who work in bakeries are put a higher risk of heat exhaustion, due to being in a hot environment for hours at a time.

While many of you are probably frightened now at the thought of becoming a baker, not everyone looks at the job so negatively. Jamie Fingerlow, the owner of Signature Sweets in Tonawanda, NY explains that even though the job poses struggles, there are just as many great qualities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, taking specific orders from customers is a skill you need to possess while baking.

“I’ve had people cry when they pick up cakes,” Fingerlow says. “That’s what makes it all worth it.”

Fingerlow is bombarded with orders every week for cakes, and she explains that even though it is stressful taking intricate orders from customers, it is the customer’s positive reaction that keeps her going. She has a final thought to share with aspiring bakers. “If you love it, in the end, it is worth it,” she says. “Just make sure you are prepared for the work you will have to do, and if you are you will be fine.”

While everyone believes baking is a fun and easy job, there are hardships that can prove that statement to be wrong. Baking is more than just drawing on a cake. Like any other job, baking is not for everyone. Some people have a passion for it, and others simply do not. While many believe the job is not worth working and others think the opposite, it is up to you to decide for yourself how you feel about the art (or disaster) of baking.