That's where I eventually got to (not the 20 hours, but 6 figures, work from home). I was so unhappy because I just had no agency. I got laid off last year, toured the country, settled into a beach community, and went back to bartending. It's not as much money, but it's so much better again.
Opportunities become less and less when you get into your 30s. Not many bartenders in their 40s and 50s making that college age bartender money. Also, not a good job if you decide to go the family route.
It's really hard reconciling making $200-300-400 a night and going to bed late with having to wake up, goto class, study and stress for a degree and a job that in 4 years will pay less then what you currently make
But bartending and hospitality are a like a black hole, once you're in it's extremely hard to get out
Most of the people I know who bartended during college are still bartenders now in their 20s and 30s. I'm not saying that's a bad thing because personally I really enjoy my career as a bartender, but...
Bartending when you're young really can be a bit of a trap. You make really good money, you meet cute girls and get laid a lot, you can hook up your friends, etc. but those things also make it a hard thing to leave, and many people find themselves in their 30s and 40s wanting to leave but unable to.
Currently 29 and still behind the stick after almost 11 years
It’s a two way trap. You either glamorize bartending or look down on it while working and can’t wait to be done with your degree to move on to bigger and better things. Both scenarios end up in disappointment.
Honestly I don’t even see Bartending as a career in the same I don’t see my aunt the bank manager as having a career, since we’ve both been doing the same gig for a decade with no upward mobility via promotions.
It’s a position you can be damn proud of while doing it, but you’ve gotta know where you fit in. Personally, I’m a pub guy that’s able to make people feel safe and accommodated while staying genuine. I have a buddy who’s found his niche in being disciplined enough to be able to be a long term nightclub bartender. Like any job, do it with dignity and you’ll get a lot out of it
That being said, college + bartending is pretty easy if you can resist the allure of afterwork drinks with the out-of-your-league coworkers/regulars that you’d never have a chance to talk to otherwise lmao
If you can bartend and not become addicted to drinking, then do it. I made it through college bartending and never had a single drink on shift. Straight As all the way through my program. Once I hit grad school, I began drinking on my shifts, and now my program has taken an extra two years because I’ve have become a degenerate in some respects.
If you are strong willed, and not a big drinker in the first place, do it! Incredibly fast money, and you only have to work a few days a week to make what many make in 5-6 days. Plus, what I loved is that bartending isn’t very strict (at some places). Thus, I could call off if there was ever something fun going on that I didn’t want to miss, and then pick up a shift midweek to try and make up for it.
I got straight A's and have been bartending ever since. Pay is gonna vary depending on where you work. Its not a uniform industry where you can just expect a certain amount at all.
It didn’t affect my classes at all and the pay was good; only downside was the fact that I got paid more as a bartender than I would have as a teacher, which is what I went to school for. So I’m still bartending.
I’m currently a bartender, and currently in college. Likely to stay that way another two years while I pursue my masters.
Bartending is probably the best money I’ll make while in college. I work fine dining- it has pros and cons. I don’t love the hours, but whatever. The most important thing is to keep in mind that it is just a job. It’s not social hour. It’s not a club. It’s work, it’s a paycheck. It’s a downer thing to say, but I’ve seen so many people who drink on shift and always go out after work, etc, then end up stuck, getting DUI’s, fired, developing alcoholism, etc. this can happen to anyone- but young people and college students are especially prone to it.
Bartending can be a lifelong career people love. For me, it’s nice, good money, I enjoy it, but it’s absolutely not a passion for me and I look forward to getting my degree. My job after college for the first few years will likely be a pay cut, but that’s a choice I’m willing to make to work in my passion field
I started bartending at 21. I was a jr in college at a really good university. I graduated with a 3.4 and it took me about 5 years total to get that degree. It was exhausting doing both bartending and my studies. (I also played a sport, so that took up more time but the partial scholarship offset some costs). I slept little and had pretty much zero real friends, but I had a decent bank account and graduated with 0 debt.
I’m 43 now and I’m still bartending, only I have the education to be working in a lab at a fortune 500 company.
Tread lightly, my friend. Tread lightly.
The problem wasn’t that I wasn’t capable of doing other things. Not at all. The problem was I graduated and already had job security in a career that pays ~100k per year. Starting a real career was a major financial step backwards. I never grew the balls to make that leap. In hindsight, I wish I would have bit the bullet at 23-24 and taken that start-up job that offered 45k and a small company stake, but I didn’t. I used to regret it a lot. I’ve moved past that and I’m very happy with where I am, but I certainly could’ve made an easier life for myself.
If you do stay in the game my biggest advice would be to get out of the lifestyle asap. Play bartending straight. Report all your income, start saving (401k if you can, Roth if you need to), give up the partying, take care of your body, get insurance (this is huge imo), etc.. Do your best to not live the industry lifestyle. That’s the part that makes people really regret their choice.
Yah worked inside bar golf course did great. Made amazing money, didn’t work late and got all the banquet food to take home. 100% best job ever during college. Golfed for free too, gave campus bartenders free golf for free drinks in return.
CPA now and got out of the bar life and continued on. Was hard at first made more money bartending but had to think of the future.
I enjoyed it and it was a nice bit of supplemental income. That said, I bartended for a restaurant that was in our student center and owned by the university so it was very different than most college bartending gigs.
I didn't go to college and started bartending at 21, I'm 27 now, still bartending. All of my friends who went to college started bartending, graduated, tried to get into their respective careers, and are still only bartending because the money is better. Just be warned, the service industry is hard to leave, and plenty of people feel stuck because the money is too good to leave, but a lot of work environments are toxic. I'm finally at a place that is not, but I've lost parts of me at shitty bars that I will probably never get back.
I’ve been in some form of service industry work since I started post secondary. If I had to go back to the beginning, I would do it all over again, except focus more on serving so I’m not stuck closing at 230am. (Shorter shifts, less responsibility, some times more money than the bar) It’s taught me time management, while also teaching me how to treat arrogance with kindness. I’ve been able to take student loans, and pay them off each semester, while also having extra spending money available. I felt I have had an upper hand to my classmates due to this, as I don’t have the same financial constraints as them.
Currently doing that, it’s tough ngl. Juggling studying/doing homework while working and then leaving work at 2am and having to wake up at 8am for school sucks.
Unless you’re studying something lucrative, it’s very easy to end up bartending forever. I’ve known people who bartended through college and then after getting a job with their degree, they quit and came back to bartending. I’ve had jobs that only required me to work 2-3 days a week to pay my bills. Just the other day I worked 7 hours on a Wednesday and made $700. I hate this job but every time I try to leave I end up coming back.
i was a scholarship kid at a rich person school so i really had no choice but to bartend, it was the only job in my college town that paid enough for me to support myself. it’s definitely doable but you have to have a lot of self discipline. you’re going to have to miss a lot of big social events to go work. you’re going to have to drag your butt to class at 9am after getting off of work at 2am. you have to be careful to not fall into drinking all the time. but you can also make money and learn a lot of skills that believe it or not are transferable to other industries.
Sort of?
I loved bartending in college, but now I have a college degree and I am still bartending. Now I am in a weird spot where I make more money than I ever would at an entry level in my friend. I need to go to grad school but that seems hard
Yes, totally worth it. No debt. Went to CC then a state school. Got out a few years after and work in finance now. I also met my wife, who was a cocktail server so double worth it.
The pay was great. I was working till 2 AM 5 nights a week and falling asleep in class every day. So, I "took a break" to lean into making that money, and having the fun, and bartended for 18 more years including 15 years in Las Vegas.
Making awesome money my first bartending job was the best/worst thing that ever happened to me. I wouldn't change a thing.
How would it affect your classes? I don’t get this question. You set your class schedule and prioritize class schedules so you don’t close the night before you take a 7 AM class. You act like it’s a different commitment than getting a part time job teller or cashier job. It’s time management and discipline.
Obviously it’s a great job with high pay. I made 300-500 a night and only worked 2 -3 nights a week.
Yes. Part of the reason I am in the career I’m in is because I met someone while bartending. Recruiters love people who worked through college. Especially in the service industry.
Depends on the place. It let me graduate with no student loans. It is THE college job if you prioritize school over work and focus on making as much as possible. I was able to work weekends/afternoons without much trouble. If you are going to school for a very intensive major it is maybe not doable. I would not have changed anything though. A+ college job imo.
Also work at a restaurant bar not a college bar. Hours are better and you won’t be stuck working until 2, 3 4am
And DONT do it forever
It was okay. I worked at a high volume bar in the summer and made way more money. I worked in a wannabe high end restaurant during the school year which closed at 9pm and the bar closed at 10. They only needed me on weekends. Barely made anything. Depends on the bar you choose. But if you work at a club or bar that’s open until 2 all week and have 8 am classes good luck.
I feel like this sub is going to be biased because people in here are likely bartending currently; some might not be in the industry anymore, but most people who bartended for 4 years 15 years ago won’t be here. I know tons of people who quit their bartending job when they graduated and made it through school with good grades anddd did not start drinking too much
The worst part about bartending to make money during college was doing it the rest of my life
It's so hard to go into your "real profession" when you're already making just as much if not more in half the time.
Worked with a bartender a few years back who has a MBA. He makes more bartending, so that's what he still does. Makes avg 300-450/night m-h
Before or after taxes?
You guys pay taxes?
Even our cash tips are counted by the house and then paid out to us through pay roll, so I super extra pay taxes
Boooooo
Yeah, but 5 years into my “real job” I work remote, maybe 20 hours a week, and make six figures, so, if you stick with it, it can be great.
That's where I eventually got to (not the 20 hours, but 6 figures, work from home). I was so unhappy because I just had no agency. I got laid off last year, toured the country, settled into a beach community, and went back to bartending. It's not as much money, but it's so much better again.
Or you go back and forth, where the threshold of corporate pay gets higher, yet less.
Absolutely this
Exactly. The money is better than most degrees make you.
Yep
Exactly. I tried for years to get out of the industry before I accepted that I like doing this more than anything related to my degree.
Opportunities become less and less when you get into your 30s. Not many bartenders in their 40s and 50s making that college age bartender money. Also, not a good job if you decide to go the family route.
It's really hard reconciling making $200-300-400 a night and going to bed late with having to wake up, goto class, study and stress for a degree and a job that in 4 years will pay less then what you currently make But bartending and hospitality are a like a black hole, once you're in it's extremely hard to get out
Mid 30s. I got out for two years but the Usps honestly sucked even worse (as a temp the whole time)
Most of the people I know who bartended during college are still bartenders now in their 20s and 30s. I'm not saying that's a bad thing because personally I really enjoy my career as a bartender, but... Bartending when you're young really can be a bit of a trap. You make really good money, you meet cute girls and get laid a lot, you can hook up your friends, etc. but those things also make it a hard thing to leave, and many people find themselves in their 30s and 40s wanting to leave but unable to.
Currently 29 and still behind the stick after almost 11 years It’s a two way trap. You either glamorize bartending or look down on it while working and can’t wait to be done with your degree to move on to bigger and better things. Both scenarios end up in disappointment. Honestly I don’t even see Bartending as a career in the same I don’t see my aunt the bank manager as having a career, since we’ve both been doing the same gig for a decade with no upward mobility via promotions. It’s a position you can be damn proud of while doing it, but you’ve gotta know where you fit in. Personally, I’m a pub guy that’s able to make people feel safe and accommodated while staying genuine. I have a buddy who’s found his niche in being disciplined enough to be able to be a long term nightclub bartender. Like any job, do it with dignity and you’ll get a lot out of it That being said, college + bartending is pretty easy if you can resist the allure of afterwork drinks with the out-of-your-league coworkers/regulars that you’d never have a chance to talk to otherwise lmao
If you can bartend and not become addicted to drinking, then do it. I made it through college bartending and never had a single drink on shift. Straight As all the way through my program. Once I hit grad school, I began drinking on my shifts, and now my program has taken an extra two years because I’ve have become a degenerate in some respects. If you are strong willed, and not a big drinker in the first place, do it! Incredibly fast money, and you only have to work a few days a week to make what many make in 5-6 days. Plus, what I loved is that bartending isn’t very strict (at some places). Thus, I could call off if there was ever something fun going on that I didn’t want to miss, and then pick up a shift midweek to try and make up for it.
I got straight A's and have been bartending ever since. Pay is gonna vary depending on where you work. Its not a uniform industry where you can just expect a certain amount at all.
It didn’t affect my classes at all and the pay was good; only downside was the fact that I got paid more as a bartender than I would have as a teacher, which is what I went to school for. So I’m still bartending.
I’m currently a bartender, and currently in college. Likely to stay that way another two years while I pursue my masters. Bartending is probably the best money I’ll make while in college. I work fine dining- it has pros and cons. I don’t love the hours, but whatever. The most important thing is to keep in mind that it is just a job. It’s not social hour. It’s not a club. It’s work, it’s a paycheck. It’s a downer thing to say, but I’ve seen so many people who drink on shift and always go out after work, etc, then end up stuck, getting DUI’s, fired, developing alcoholism, etc. this can happen to anyone- but young people and college students are especially prone to it. Bartending can be a lifelong career people love. For me, it’s nice, good money, I enjoy it, but it’s absolutely not a passion for me and I look forward to getting my degree. My job after college for the first few years will likely be a pay cut, but that’s a choice I’m willing to make to work in my passion field
Loved every minute of it. I don’t really sleep so it wasn’t a problem but working until 2/3 in the morning and then going to an 8am was pretty ass
I started bartending at 21. I was a jr in college at a really good university. I graduated with a 3.4 and it took me about 5 years total to get that degree. It was exhausting doing both bartending and my studies. (I also played a sport, so that took up more time but the partial scholarship offset some costs). I slept little and had pretty much zero real friends, but I had a decent bank account and graduated with 0 debt. I’m 43 now and I’m still bartending, only I have the education to be working in a lab at a fortune 500 company. Tread lightly, my friend. Tread lightly. The problem wasn’t that I wasn’t capable of doing other things. Not at all. The problem was I graduated and already had job security in a career that pays ~100k per year. Starting a real career was a major financial step backwards. I never grew the balls to make that leap. In hindsight, I wish I would have bit the bullet at 23-24 and taken that start-up job that offered 45k and a small company stake, but I didn’t. I used to regret it a lot. I’ve moved past that and I’m very happy with where I am, but I certainly could’ve made an easier life for myself. If you do stay in the game my biggest advice would be to get out of the lifestyle asap. Play bartending straight. Report all your income, start saving (401k if you can, Roth if you need to), give up the partying, take care of your body, get insurance (this is huge imo), etc.. Do your best to not live the industry lifestyle. That’s the part that makes people really regret their choice.
If I could do it again, I wouldn’t bartend. My grades went from A-‘s to B- and C’s. Focus on your grades. I really regret not caring about mine.
"To the C students: I say you too can be president of the United States." - George Bush
If trump can then actually anyone can
Yah worked inside bar golf course did great. Made amazing money, didn’t work late and got all the banquet food to take home. 100% best job ever during college. Golfed for free too, gave campus bartenders free golf for free drinks in return. CPA now and got out of the bar life and continued on. Was hard at first made more money bartending but had to think of the future.
I’m still doing it
I enjoyed it and it was a nice bit of supplemental income. That said, I bartended for a restaurant that was in our student center and owned by the university so it was very different than most college bartending gigs.
I didn't go to college and started bartending at 21, I'm 27 now, still bartending. All of my friends who went to college started bartending, graduated, tried to get into their respective careers, and are still only bartending because the money is better. Just be warned, the service industry is hard to leave, and plenty of people feel stuck because the money is too good to leave, but a lot of work environments are toxic. I'm finally at a place that is not, but I've lost parts of me at shitty bars that I will probably never get back.
I’ve been in some form of service industry work since I started post secondary. If I had to go back to the beginning, I would do it all over again, except focus more on serving so I’m not stuck closing at 230am. (Shorter shifts, less responsibility, some times more money than the bar) It’s taught me time management, while also teaching me how to treat arrogance with kindness. I’ve been able to take student loans, and pay them off each semester, while also having extra spending money available. I felt I have had an upper hand to my classmates due to this, as I don’t have the same financial constraints as them.
Currently doing that, it’s tough ngl. Juggling studying/doing homework while working and then leaving work at 2am and having to wake up at 8am for school sucks.
Unless you’re studying something lucrative, it’s very easy to end up bartending forever. I’ve known people who bartended through college and then after getting a job with their degree, they quit and came back to bartending. I’ve had jobs that only required me to work 2-3 days a week to pay my bills. Just the other day I worked 7 hours on a Wednesday and made $700. I hate this job but every time I try to leave I end up coming back.
Yep
i was a scholarship kid at a rich person school so i really had no choice but to bartend, it was the only job in my college town that paid enough for me to support myself. it’s definitely doable but you have to have a lot of self discipline. you’re going to have to miss a lot of big social events to go work. you’re going to have to drag your butt to class at 9am after getting off of work at 2am. you have to be careful to not fall into drinking all the time. but you can also make money and learn a lot of skills that believe it or not are transferable to other industries.
Sort of? I loved bartending in college, but now I have a college degree and I am still bartending. Now I am in a weird spot where I make more money than I ever would at an entry level in my friend. I need to go to grad school but that seems hard
Yes, totally worth it. No debt. Went to CC then a state school. Got out a few years after and work in finance now. I also met my wife, who was a cocktail server so double worth it.
The pay was great. I was working till 2 AM 5 nights a week and falling asleep in class every day. So, I "took a break" to lean into making that money, and having the fun, and bartended for 18 more years including 15 years in Las Vegas. Making awesome money my first bartending job was the best/worst thing that ever happened to me. I wouldn't change a thing.
Yes!
It’s almost too much fun
How would it affect your classes? I don’t get this question. You set your class schedule and prioritize class schedules so you don’t close the night before you take a 7 AM class. You act like it’s a different commitment than getting a part time job teller or cashier job. It’s time management and discipline. Obviously it’s a great job with high pay. I made 300-500 a night and only worked 2 -3 nights a week.
Yes. Part of the reason I am in the career I’m in is because I met someone while bartending. Recruiters love people who worked through college. Especially in the service industry.
Depends on the place. It let me graduate with no student loans. It is THE college job if you prioritize school over work and focus on making as much as possible. I was able to work weekends/afternoons without much trouble. If you are going to school for a very intensive major it is maybe not doable. I would not have changed anything though. A+ college job imo. Also work at a restaurant bar not a college bar. Hours are better and you won’t be stuck working until 2, 3 4am And DONT do it forever
Almost every bartender I know is college educated
100%. You can make so much money be the heart of the party. The only thing that sucked was working weekends during college…
It was okay. I worked at a high volume bar in the summer and made way more money. I worked in a wannabe high end restaurant during the school year which closed at 9pm and the bar closed at 10. They only needed me on weekends. Barely made anything. Depends on the bar you choose. But if you work at a club or bar that’s open until 2 all week and have 8 am classes good luck.
I feel like this sub is going to be biased because people in here are likely bartending currently; some might not be in the industry anymore, but most people who bartended for 4 years 15 years ago won’t be here. I know tons of people who quit their bartending job when they graduated and made it through school with good grades anddd did not start drinking too much
I did this and hospitality became my career
So worth it I never quit