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 Message 8088 of 22774 in Behind the Bar
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Subject: Re: Bartending as a long term profession
From: Mister2
Posted: Tue Aug 9. 2005, 02:04 UTC
Followup to: "Bartending as a long term profession"  by Cask  (Mon Aug 8. 2005, 22:05 UTC)
I haven't been working in the industry that long, but here's what I've seen so 
far.

First off, it's not exactly easy on your body.  I don't care what anybody says 
- bartending is a physically demanding job.  Some moreso than others, but it 
requires more than simply sitting at a PC all day punching code.

Second, it has some financial problems.  Not in the sense of actual income - 
depending on where you work, it can be fairly lucrative.  The problem is that, 
unlike more traditional jobs, it requires more financial planning on your 
part.  A bar won't set up your 401k for you, it generally doesn't have health 
and dental coverage, etc.  So, you have to plan all that on your own - it 
takes some initiative, and it also takes away from your spendable income.  You 
also have to plan on paying more in taxes every year due to the nature of your 
income (assuming you're tending in the US where tips make up the majority of 
your income).

Third, and I'll probably hear some disagreement on this one, but there's a bit 
of a social stigma when it comes to career bartending.  When you're 45 and 
someone asks you what you do for a living, "engineer" and "software 
technician" are expected answers - "bartender" or really anything in the 
service industry other than management is not expected, with the possible 
exception of sommelier.  Minor, but still, it's to be considered.

Fourth, there's not a whole lot of room for upward mobility in the bar 
business, unless you work corporate.  You can become head bartender or bar 
manager, but from there you generally will move to GM, and no longer serving 
very much.  The other option is to open your own place, but that's a whole 
different discussion.

Career tending, like any profession, has its rewards and its drawbacks.  I'm 
sure I missed a few here, but at the end of the day, you need to decide for 
yourself if bartending is something you love to do.  If so, then you can work 
the rest of it out later.  In the meantime, just have fun and see where it 
takes you.


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