Many people in this general forum will bad-mouth bartending schools for
numerous reasons (some feel it is a waste of money, not a real bar setting,
etc.). However, as SwizzleStick has mentioned on many forums, bartending
schools can be of great value, and in many cases, you make your money back in
a short period of time.
Anyway, I went to bartending school and truly was the best in my class (I got
100% on my mid-term and 100% on my final, no mistakes on either the written
test or drink practical). I went through the two-week course and was
eventually hired (I was leaving again for college, so many places wanted a
bartender for a longer period of time). I eventually found a job and showed
up the first night a little nervous; despite my nerves, I went in, did my job,
and before I left, the manager asked me to work Saturday nights (their busiest
night) because he said that I did extremely well. After work on Saturday, a
few of the waitresses commented that I was the best bartender that they had
seen in a long time.
I think some of the patrons felt the same way. The owner was behind the bar a
few times, and I felt some resentment from him because if he would go to help
someone at the bar, they would ask for me to help them (he become annoyed
sometimes and got mad at me).
Point being, the school really helped and without it, I might have been lost.
I might not have had the confidence to apply for a barback job, let alone as a
bartender.