Life After Bartending: Have A Plan

Make sure that you plan for your future while you're young so that you don't get stuck in a tough situation when its too late

You can't bartend forever.  Like it or not, that statement is true.  Noone wants to hire a 50 year old bartender.  Any place that does is almost certianlly not a place that you want to work.  To avoid finding yourself over the hill and broke you should start to plan for your future when you are still young.  Having a plan is never a bad idea.  A few things to consider are:

1: Invest some of your money

While bartending you will have the ability to make a lot of money while only working part time.  Some bartenders go out and buy a BMW and live in an extravegent appartment.  This is fine if you plan to die when you're 35.  Most of us don't have an early dimise in our plan so this may not be the best way to go.  You should certianlly enjoy yourself and your money while you're young but make sure you set aside something for retirement.  If you invest $100/week in mutual funds starting when you are 21, you will be a millionare when you are 52.  Certianlly better than being 52 and broke.  To find out more about IRAs and investments for bartenders check out our investment page.

2: Go to school

Many bartenders are already working their way through college and this is a great idea.  They have a plan and a career after bartending already in mind.  The only problem is that many of these bartenders get caught up in the nightlife and the large ammount of money that they are making.  College often gets put on the back burner.  Don't fall into this trap.  If you take a few years off of school it is extremely difficult to go back.  

Another option for bartenders is to attend online universities.  You can still get a degree from a reputable school but you are able to do the work when you want to.  This is extremely helpfull to a bartender who keeps odd hours(as many bartenders do).  Its nice to be able to come home from work at 3am and have soemthing (productive) to do besides watch infomercials.  For more information on schools that offer online classes see out online college page.

3. Get into management

Many larger establishments such as chain restaurants where you may bartend offer benefits and retirement packages to their management staff.  if you want to stay in the service industry for your entire career you should look into going into managment.  Many/most bars and clubs promote from within to an extent and apsiring to manage the venue that you bartend at may not be such a bad idea.  Ask the owners and managers to keep you in mind when they start looking for people to train for jobs with more responsibility.

Whatever you decide to do make sure that you have some sort of plan for your future.  Its easy to continually get another year older and have nothing change.  Sooner or later you'll find yourself at an age where you wonder what you're going to do with the rest of your life.  Make sure its not too late when this happens to you.