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Bakers

Under the title Bakers, workers mix and bake ingredients to produce breads, rolls, cookies, cakes, pies, pastries, or other baked goods. O*NET rates it as some preparation, which usually means a few months to a year of learning on the job. It leans on time management, judgment and decision making, and active listening. A regular part of the work is to measure or weigh flour or other ingredients to prepare batters, doughs, fillings, or icings, using scales or graduated containers. The strongest interest signal is Realistic (6.3 of 7), then Conventional (4.2) and Artistic, which gives it the code RCA. If you want hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world, keep it on your list. If you need research, analysis and working through hard problems, it may feel thin.

What they do

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

Main tasks

  • Measure or weigh flour or other ingredients to prepare batters, doughs, fillings, or icings, using scales or graduated containers.
  • Set oven temperatures, and place items into hot ovens for baking.
  • Check products for quality, and identify damaged or expired goods.
  • Check equipment to ensure that it meets health and safety regulations, and perform maintenance or cleaning, as necessary.
  • Adapt the quantity of ingredients to match the amount of items to be baked.
  • Place dough in pans, molds, or on sheets, and bake in production ovens or on grills.

Skills

  • Time Management
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Quality Control Analysis

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
  • You like clear rules and getting the details right.
  • You want to start work after a short stretch of training.
  • You are comfortable relying on time management and judgment and decision making.

May not suit you if

  • You would rather stay away from physical, hands-on tasks.
  • You want to spend most of your time analyzing and researching. Investigative rates 1.7 out of 7 here.
  • You want a career built on years of advanced study.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code RCA takes the three highest, and Realistic comes first here.

Preparation

Some preparation. Most people start with a high school diploma, then learn from experienced coworkers over a few months to a year.

Also called

  • Bakery Worker
  • Bread Baker
  • Cake Baker
  • Cake Decorator
  • Dough Mixer

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.