I am changing my MOS in July. How bad is being a cook?

Don't do it. It makes you drink...a lot more than you are now. There is no such thing as 4days. The most you get is two. The hours are terrible and the soldiers don't appreciate the food. Going to the field? Forget it. You get no sleep. The only positive thing is you don't pull CQ...ever. And when you deploy you don't have to burn shit. I got out of burning shit in Iraq. Don't do it!!!

I cooked in the Army Reserve and the Guard. Did it at AT and during an extended AT in Africa. A good hot meal is well appreciated by everyone. And, no, cooks are not dumb. My average score was @140. If a cook does it wrong, people can get sick and die. One bad meal can put a unit out of action.

Remember the old adage: bullets, blankets and beans....

Back in the old days I trained as 94B (Cook). It, like anything else, has it's positives and negatives. The duty hours suck, and the kitchen is always hot, but the time off is good and... if you are doing your job right, the troops appreciate your work.

Don't know about Army but Navy cooks seem to have it made in the shade. When I was a seaman I got scullery duty and all the crap jobs that cooks didn't want to do for my 1st 90 days of sea duty. We all do it basically (all rates) but once that was over, I went back to my real job and cooks did what they do, cook and boss around the non-cook guys to do crap work and working parties.

once you get out what will count is what skills you bring and no one on the outside needs an m60 set up or a m240 but everyone on earth needs to eat ! Cooking is a place you can be creative and learn management skills ( over both civilians an military personnel ) , contracting , nutrition , planning, budgeting, contracting and so so much more .
Want to help out the army? look at how many problems there are because of diet like diabetes heart disease and obesity. Those medical conditions cost the military big every year and not just money but people that large amounts of resources have been invested in to.
Being a cook is where You and other cooks can make a difference in this and no one lese can make that kind of difference like a cook can !
Cooks are not dumb they know there getting valuable skills in the military they can get no were else and would have to pay huge amounts to even come close to getting on civy street , many have given up other opportunities so they can be cooks make a difference and be a vital part of the big team !
IMHO

I never went hungry and nobody messes with the cooks

To start with; if you didn't consider yourself able for combat you shouldn't have joined at all. Secondly, everyone has to eat so just fix the food and get on with it. You're a sergeant and you should long ago have figured out that the service needs supporting roles.

I worked at a summer camp in high school in the late 60’s. When I graduated I went in the Army. During AIT there were several phases and depending on your status on your grades, you either went to your duty station, or were held over to the next level. But that could be a couple weeks, in which you got put on the KP list, and post details.
My first KP, I had to assist pealing potatoes and make gravy. It came out silky smooth, even the head cook was impressed. I was offered OJT cook status. Exempt from any details, or weekend duty, I would go in to do breakfast, and prepare lunch, then off. Next day I went in to serve lunch and prepare supper. No weekend duty and no one messed with me. I could be off by noon on Friday and disappear till noon on Monday. I offered eggs anyway you wanted them, before all they offered was rancid scrambled eggs; and I doubled the headcount for breakfast. Also made a mean SOS to die for.
Then my next class started. Was runner up honor graduate, promoted to SP4. Then I had a 4 week wait for advanced MOS. Back to the mess hall. Was actually fun. Better than stocking shelves at the commissary or mowing grass. Then at graduation I went in to work my MOS.

I don't understand the question is a cook dumb. I was infantry from start to finish and as a 1SGT I had a lot of respect for cooks as I got a close look at what they really did. I will say they are one of the hardest working MOS. While you are in the bed sleeping at 3am a cook is already at work baking or preparing to cook and serve a BN or BDE 3 meals a day in most cases 24x7. While the Div is off on donsas or holidays the DEFAC is still serving 3 meals a day. When you get off work at 16 or 1700hrs the DEFAC is still open and when they close they still are working with the civilian KPs preparing for the next day. If a PT test, Wpns qual or any other mandatory training fell on their day off, training took priority. That is just some of the tasks that cooks does. I feel that cooks do not get the respect and merits they deserve.

Cooking can be very fulfilling. It is what you make enjoy what you are doing.