WEEK     JOB: BARTENDER

LOCATION: HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA

EMPLOYER: GUS’ PUB & GRILL

WAGE: $20,460 YEAR [Source: BLS]

JOB DESCRIPTION: Served drinks, interacted with customers, and cleaned up the bar at the end of the night. The clientele at Gus’ Pub was quite eclectic. During the day, they had customers who had been going there daily for twenty to thirty years. Then at night it was a much younger crowd of students with popular bands playing Wednesday through Saturday.

INDUSTRY IQ:

• Typically more than half of a bartender’s earnings comes from tips.

• Flair bartending is where the bartender performs tricks with the liquor bottle while making the drink. There are major flair-bartender competitions around the world, with typical prize money of $20,000 or more.

WHAT I LEARNED: Being a bartender requires patience.

While I enjoyed trading stories with patrons, by the end of the night my feet ached and my patience dwindled. Being a bartender is like going out for a night on the town with friends as the designated driver. As the night wears on, you watch the people around you become more intoxicated and more difficult to communicate with. Their demands get more obscure. And scarfing down fast food at three in the morning is not nearly as enjoyable when you’re sober.