Bartender School Classes
IS A BARTENDING CAREER RIGHT FOR YOU?
Often, many people do not consider a bartending job as a professional or career job. Many bartenders only took up the job because they needed another source of income or something to pass the time with. At the end of the day, these people either leave the bartending line of work or decide to pursue a career and become successful professional bartenders. Either way, these two categories of people never seem to stop talking about how much they cherish their days as a bartender.
Not many people eventually say they realized that bartending could be the way out for them and this is true in virtually all facets of life. Many people end up doing the wrong jobs as they find it hard to know what they want to do even if it is right in front of them. The same way many people will not consider bartending when making a career choice.
The truth, however, is, working as a bartender is fulfilling and in some locations, lucrative. If you master the job role, it could be the perfect career for you. If you also just realized that you would like to work professionally as a bartender, how do you know if the career is one that you should consider?
- You are physically fit.
Working as a bartender is a physical job that involves a lot of standing, walking, bending and lifting for hours non-stop till the end of the shift. At times, you may be required to work double shifts which means spending double the time doing all those physical activities. If you know that you have bad knees or back, then working as a bartender may not be the best choice of career for you. Think about standing every day for several years, and we have not even factored in how to carry out your job description in a safe way. If you do not have the physical ability to withstand the activities of the job, this is not a good career option for you. But if you are physically fit, and you are sure that you can handle the rigors of the job, and you are genuinely interested in the job, then bartending may just be the career path you should tow.
- You are good with numbers.
Professional and successful bartenders are good with numbers and do not ever get their math wrong. You will be dealing with numbers in this line of work, and if your math is short of averagely-excellent, you might suck at the job. From calculating how many fractions of ounces you need for a cocktail recipe and balancing your profit and loss sheet, you cannot escape the math.
If your math is excellent and bartending is what you want to do, then this may be the right career for you. If, however, you really want to work as a bartender, but your math skills are below par, you may have to brush up on basic arithmetic, fractions, and spreadsheets. These are the salient factors that can make or mar your bar.
- You Have Thick Skin
Having people skill is an important thing to check before deciding to become a bartender. Do you have the patience to deal with people of varying personalities and reactions in a single night? Can you handle a drunk guy yelling at you to serve him his drink in the presence of many people? Your ability to take on these kinds of things while still being able to deliver the services you are being paid to do is what makes you a professional bartender. You are stuck with only one reaction – a happy, accommodating reaction. You may have to deal with a lot of bad behavior from different people and still keep it moving without displeasure.
The customer is not obligated to respect you, but you as the bartender have to give utmost respect to the customer regardless of their behavior towards you. The job could feel like a thankless job at times, and this is why you have to be mentally and emotionally ready for all the stress that comes with it. You must have the willpower to get through each day and show up on the next.
- You are passionate about the hospitality and service industry
Bartending is one of the ways to participate actively in the hospitality industry and could be the stepping stone you need to attain loftier positions. Bartending also puts you in the position to serve others and keep them entertained. If you love making friends, socializing and caring for people even if they do not feel the same for you, working in the hospitality industry might just be for you. If being hospitable is too much work for you, then this might not be the career for you.
- You love creating and mixing cocktails.
This is not only limited to bartenders; this is a valuable skill if you are going to work as a mixologist too. If you are the kind of guy that loves to spritz lemon oil on water or you already own 20 bar spoons, you just might be destined to take up this career. If all you think about whenever you see spirit and another type of drink is making a cocktail out of it, then enrolling in a bartending school may be the next step for you.
If you land a bartending job and you get the chance to be the bar manager or head bartender, you will get all the chance in the world to try out new mixes and blends for your cocktail menu. You will also get to create unique recipes. The bottom line is if you have a passion for creating drinks, a bartending career may be right for you.
CONCLUSION
Not knowing what career to pursue is fine. It even gets more difficult to consciously choose to become a bartender given how much society does not pay much attention to the profession. But should you become a bartender, it could open up many doors of opportunities for you.