Bartending

Bartending is an art. It takes a quick mind, a good memory and a lot of people skills. I took up bartending while I was attending college. My tuition was outrageous and I was living on my own by my sophomore year so things were very tight. I worked in the College’s dining hall and one of the managers owned a local bar. She sent me to talk to her husband and he hired me on the spot.

Tending bar is an ideal job for a college student. You can be at the party and stay at the bar until close, but never have a hangover. You also wind up with a pocket full of cash at the end of the evening. I was fortunate to have the hands-on bartending training while I completed my academic career because my bartending skills came in handy over the years. I enjoyed the atmosphere and I’m a night owl, so the job was perfect for me. In fact, I had trouble leaving tending bar behind.

The owner of the bar and his wife threw a graduation party for me after I earned my degree. There were students there as well as many of the local regulars and I will never forget the party. The owner praised me for being such a skilled bartender and he expressed his slight sadness that I had completed my studies. I received card after card from customers and fellow employees wishing me well in my future ventures.

The well-wishers at the graduation party made me suddenly realize that I was graduating. I had spent four years working and studying. I put in long hours, often reading thick passages in my academic textbooks while on break. I had customers quiz me on the poets of the Twentieth Century while I was bartending. I even would post the word of the day under the specials to help me remember important vocabulary words. I didn’t have to do any of that anymore.

After all of the hard work and dedicated study, I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English with minor concentrations in Psychology and Philosophy. This varied and unique degree basically qualified me to tend bar. After the party began to die down a few of my closer friends remained. We were all very relaxed and quite intoxicated. The owner of the establishment that I had worked in for nearly three years asked, “What are your plans?” and I quickly said, “I’m going to find a job. Do you have any bartending positions available?”