Is it a good idea for me to go to bartending school?

I am a college student and need cash (what college student doesn't?). I like the idea of bartending because I go to school at Penn State, where the student population is just over 40000, so there are a lot of bars and nightclubs. Also, I have heard you can pull in a few hundred bucks in a good night. I have read other questions on this site that ask the same question, but I am 18 - so I can't just go out and buy alcohol and begin mixing. It is the Pittsburgh Bartending School (www.pittsburghbartendingschool.com) and tuition is a little under 700. Thoughts?Is it a good idea for me to go to bartending school?
I think you will make that back in a week.



Plus, once you graduate, if you can't get a job right away you have something to fall back on.



Have fun!Is it a good idea for me to go to bartending school?
As a former restaurant manager we ALWAYS promoted our bartenders from within. The obvious exception was a new store opening. Bartending schools are a waste of time and money. If you are interested in the service industry a position as a server/bar-back/door host is the best way to gain the experience and knowledge. Sorry, the likelihood of landing a premium bartending job without experience is next to nil. Unless your uncle is opening a pub and needs some help I suggest you enter the industry at a different level. Best of luck!Is it a good idea for me to go to bartending school?
I'm with the Pittsburgh Bartender School http://www.bartendingschoolpittsburgh.com Right now we have between 70-80 local/regional bars/clubs etc. that will interview our students. That is current.

If you are looking to bartend in State Park, we probably offer the fullest description on how to get a bartending job anywhere. It is the result of our experiences (owning a bar, bar managers/bartenders--and interacting with thousands of employers over a couple of decades. We've looked at the best stuff on the web abt how to get a bartending job. It is more thorough. It is real.



Our program includes RAMP education which is great for PA bartending jobs and a national certification in Alcohol Mangement.



Now, I'm not going to debate the pros and cons of bartending schools or not. I will say though, if you are looking at schools check us out. We put a lot of hours into the actual job process. This isn't a guarantee...but it is an area where the Pittsburgh Bartender School and the others we operate are dramatically different from most bartending schools around the country.



Actually if you want to see results search in facebook for one of our different schools. Try Professional Bartending School DC (its a group not a page). check out the volume of people getting jobs in that one.



We will put up a facebook page shortly for Pittsburgh with similar stuff







Best of luckIs it a good idea for me to go to bartending school?
I was in the same situation as you. I was going to FSU in Fl. I saw the potential to make money at the collage bars where I was going to school. I decided that I needed to go to a bartending school. Well after checking into it ..the class offered in Ft Myers Fl would of cost me 600.00 for a 2 week course. I decided to stay at my parents and take a course that my friend recommend to me. I payed 37.00 for the bartending course at bartendingexposed.com I am so glad that I did not pay out all that money for a school. I studied the course/book . I studied... then I went out to apply for jobs in this area. I got a job at a neighborhood bar . By the way You don't have to go out and buy alcohol to learn how to bartend. And the schools use colored water. anyway it seems like you have made up your mind to go to a school. I just thought Id save you some money. Hey good luck I know you will do fine.
most bartenders consider it a waste of money



if you go to bar tending school, you likely will start a job anywhere and start as a barback/server and have to move up



if you start working at a restaurant/bar, you will likely start as a barback/serve and have to move up



one of these costs $700, the other doesn't.



chances of a bar hiring an 18 year old to bar tend, even if you went to school for it is unlikely, for liability reasons and technically you shouldn't even know what a drink tastes like, so how good could a 18 year old be at mixing drinks?