Bar Tending

[celestial]

Well i dont know if this is the right place to post this but since it has something to do with the nightlife and events stuff i thought id start here, Non the less i was wondering if anyone knew anyone who was a bartender and where they went to school if in the metro detroit area, i want to get certified and bartend but dont know what places are good, the cheapest classes i could find where around 449 but i dont know if this place is the real deal or if i will be wasting my money, any tips or help?

[MarsDustDoug]

just about all the bartenders I know have started out just working in a bar like a local dive and honed thier skills that way. Some sticking with the "local bar" scene and others moving on to bigger bars/clubs.

I would recommend gettign a job a few days/nights a week at a local "dive". Just someplace people hang out and drink your everday normal drinks to start learning. from there you can get an idea if you want something more crazy and hectic

[n0Mad]

I second what Doug said. Barback for a while and get promoted from within. In my opinion bartending schools are a waste of time and money. A few years ago a business man brought me out to Colorado to manage his nightclub. He and I had no experience tending bar whatsoever but with in two weeks, we were better than most of the bartenders in that town who had been doing it for years. The best way to learn is on the job and you get paid for it, rather than shelling out cash to a school with no guarantee you'll ever get hired.

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Of the 5 bartenders i know well enough to know such things, i'd say the same as above. I think er... blackie? might have mentioned she went to bartending school. But im not even sure on that one.

It's really not something you need to go to school for, get a job at some random dump and after that you'll have "bar tending experience" and then be hireable at better places. Hell if you kiss the right ass (or if your a hot chick) and just do a bit of self-teaching you probably could get a decent job at a regular "Good" club/bar.

There are only a very few professions were your "need" to go to school, mostly its about moxie and being a go-getter. Employers respect that far more than a peice of paper. Doctors , Lawyers, truck drivers... really not that many. Of the guys i know in the computer field less than i'd say 5% actually went to school for it. I know tons of managment types that never set foot in a university etc.

If you want to go to bartending school partly for "fun" then sure go for it. Also maybe if your confidence level is low it might help you.

There are several bartending schools around SE Michigan. Knowing how to have good customer service and pour drinks, im thinking you dont have to worry to much about which school you go to, if you decide to go to one. Its not rocket science. (and i dont mean that in a negative way)

Some bartending schools

[n0Mad]

Knowing how to have good customer service and pour drinks, im thinking you dont have to worry to much about which school you go to, if you decide to go to one. Its not rocket science. (and i dont mean that in a negative way)

In fact, my former boss from the nightclub, his wife (now ex) has a degree in astro-physics so she really and truly is a rocket scientist. I taught her how to tend bar and I was better at it.