Mixing drinks, having great conversations with patrons, and concocting just the perfect cocktails for your mood are just some of the best traits of our favorite bartenders.
Perhaps you’ve observed their work one too many times and admired their craft.
Have you considered being a bartender?
This is a rewarding career for many. Before doing so, you have to be sure about this decision. Here are some questions to ask before you start with bartending career:
1. Am I Willing To do some serious Study?
Bartending is a craft, much like cooking, baking, and other food industries.
You cannot simply show up to the job without knowledge of the work. With this, you must be willing to study up and equip yourself to be the best bartender you could be.
If you are interested, there are in-person lessons from local bartending school you can take up to harness your skills and polish your credentials in this niche. A lot of Bartending schools specifically train bartenders for the hospitality industry.
Bars all over the country tap local bartending schools to help find highly-qualified graduates. LBS’ job placement program connects talented baristas to great bars and helps launch stellar careers in the industry.
2. Do I Like People / am I an extrovert?
If you’re a full-blown introvert, this career might not suit you.
Being a bartender requires you to talk to people, engage in small conversations and speak at a higher volume than usual. Being people friendly is one of the most important hospitality industry skills for career success.
A bartender’s personality should match their surroundings, and that should be spirited, enthusiastic, and lively.
During dull moments at the bar when the music seems to suffer from a technical glitch, your presence at the center of the bar can be valuable in upping the entire room’s energy.
You don’t need to dance, sing, or perform a comedy skit, but you can do flair bartending moves to entertain bored clients who came to forget about their worries and drown their hearts with alcohol.
3. Is The Culture Something Acceptable To Me?
A bar is where different types of people with different temperaments meet.
It is usually a place where happy and depressed people mingle, so you can imagine the diverse atmosphere that could brew every night.
The mixture of melancholy and joy could clash, and bar fights can ensue quickly. If this is something you can’t take, being a bartender might not be your cup of tea.
But, hey, if you can temper the hot-headedness of people ala Jersey of Coyote Ugly, then this might be something you can pursue.
4. Am I Comfortable With The Pay?
Many people would assume that being a bartender will not be sufficient to pay for one’s needs, but it’s actually the opposite.
A bartender’s pay could go as high as USD$16/hour, and in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Denver, it could go as high as USD$20/hour.
Depending on the state, that’s already above the minimum and would be sufficient to cover one’s daily needs and then some. This does not include the hefty tips customers hand to the staff often.
Bartenders are also paid extremely well in European countries and in a lot of developed countries like Australia, Canada etc.
5. Am I Ready For The Physical Strain?
Bartending is a physical job that will require you to be on your feet for nine hours every night.
Apart from fatigue and a drastic change in your sleep patterns, there could be several issues that you may encounter, such as back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, cuts and abrasions, and other injuries resulting from slips and falls.
Your health insurance can cover this, but you have to prepare your body for the taxing job should you finally sign that job agreement.
A regular workout can be incorporated into your daily routine to rev up your body and stretch your muscles for the physical strain you’ll undergo.
6. Am I Ready To See others including My Friends Having Fun?
One of the downsides of working in a bar is seeing your friends having fun while you work.
You can join in the conversation and have a drink yourself, but you can’t sit with them and leave your post.
You’ll have to satisfy yourself by seeing them chatting and sharing fun stories while you mix cocktails and pour beer.
7. Does The Position Offer Room For Advancement?
Being behind the bar is not the end-all and be-all of a bartending career. Career advancements are available, especially if you upskill and learn the ropes of handling the business.
You may get certification in inventory management, sales analysis, and advanced mixology to further your position. You may climb up the ladder, and who knows, you may become the restaurant manager if you deserve the job and work hard for it.
Conclusion
‘The only way to do great work is to love what you do.’ Any career, if you perform your best, can deliver remarkable outcomes.
Today, many great individuals started from the bottom, climbed their way up, and became victorious.
Being a bartender is not just a lucrative career but could also be rewarding if you find the right opportunities in the right place. Getting certified in becoming a skilled bartender only takes nine to twelve hours of personal training but could be the best decision you’ll take to advance your career.
