Malahat Azizova

This year, one VET graduate who man- aged to find a good job shortly after grad- uation is 17-year-old Malahat Azizova(in the left photo). After successful training as a cook at VET school No.5 (Buzovna village near Baku), she was assigned for a work internship at one of the famous restaurants.

Having proved herself in the kitchen, Malahat was hired as an assistant cook in the summer. Now, she has a steady job , decent earning, and promising career prospects.

“Being a cook didn’t seem to me very serious, as anyone can cook something, one way or another. Spending two years to learn how to cook– back then, it seemed to me a strange idea,” Malahat recalls with a smile on her face.

But when she started her first classes at the school, Malahat discovered that cooking had many interesting nuances.

“The courses revealed to me the entire world of various culinary styles, meth- ods, sophisticated sauces and techniques to achieve the wanted crust type, ideal softness and so on. I would never have thought there was such a variety of soups alone! That’s when I got an interest in the profession. I realised there was a lot to learn, and that there is always room for growth,” she says.

Malahat shares this advice to young peo- ple on the early stages of their careers: “Don’t waste your emotional resources to get the approval of others, be open to new things, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and always believe in your own potential.”