TOPIC: Need advice... What should I do??

Take a job with one of the financial firms. When you work in a firm with lots of people you inevitably will have a good social life. I worked for a financial company in my early 20\'s and there were loads of people my age and we went out most nights after work.

The bar job will soon become tedious. It sounds alluring now, but it\'s shitty job. It\'s not as if you wont have access to loads of girls by taking a \"proper\" job and you\'ll have decent money. Once you get your first real job, you\'ll soon discover people really don\'t work that hard. I used to get high with my work buddies during lunch breaks. My job was target orientated though, so as long as my figures were good, no one really took much notice of my general behaviour. I say take the job, do it for a couple of years and see how it goes. Thenn you can always take over the family business, when you probably will have to work hard. Once you work for yourself or have a family to provide for, then work probably does get alot more serious.

Hmm true thanks Hoddle,

I just don\'t want to do an immature decision... It would probably be harder to get into a firm when I\'m older as well. But then again... my generation tends to try many different careers.

Dude, I did the bartend in college thing and then I stayed on for 5 more years. I had gone through a breakup and after I was done feeling sorry for myself I was only concerned with having a good time, and thats exactly what I did. I had a ton of fun, and had experiences that I would not have otherwise done. I had lots of crazy friends and we got into a lot of crazy shit. I also was involved with a good amount of really hot babes. These girls were way more attractive than the girls my other friends who had taken professional careers were dating.
Here\'s what sucks though. Both the places I worked went out of business in the shitty economy. In fact, a lot of bars turnover, and if the name on the building doesn\'t change the management will. I work in the restaurant business still. I\'m a good looking guy, but once you get to a certain age (late 20\'s) you have to have a career, or it doesn\'t matter how attractive you are to women. As a guy you can always date younger if you want. I would advise taking a career opportunity because once you get to your late 20\'s early 30\'s you can date any age you want. Better to have a stable career than to still have to bust your butt at work, and go back to school while your friends are making cash. That\'s what I\'m doing now.
To each there own, but if I were you I would make the best decision for my future.

Take the financial firm job and bartend on the weekend if you really wanted to. This way you have access to the unlimited pussy lol. Trust me, im 32 and in a stable career that pays really well, and im constantly bailing out my better looking, broke, no career to speak of best bud.

I concur with BigMan. I have owned, worked and built restaurants and bars and all they do is make you a vampire. You party all night, sleep all day. You have lots of fun, with lots of women but that will get old. Take the career path, be a bartender on the side, have your colleagues come visit you and enjoy spending the tips they leave you. luck.

Thanks guys,

@thedude, I can completely relate. In all honesty me 2 years ago wouldn\'t have even considered a path like this. I was in a 5 year relationship and only wanted the absolute best for my future with my girlfriend. Then after she left everything changed. I got depressed went on a huge alcohol binge and slept with a ton of women.

Now, I am out of the depression and I hardly drink, BUT I still like to sleep around and to be honest that and the cash are the two biggest motivators.

But I don\'t want to end up in my mid 30s just bartending at some local pub or something trying to make ends meet.

@Bigman, reminds me of that movie that came out last summer with Ryan Reynolds called \"The Change Up\".

@gunnagetbig, That is also an idea... this new place is a Friday and Saturday night only kind of place, so I would only bartend on weekends. If I was strong willed enough I could try to manage both. One thing to consider though is how a financial firm would feel about one of their guys bartending at a club... not so much a conflict of interest but more of an image issue.

Taking both jobs isn\'t necessarily a bad idea... even if its just for a few months... the financial firm jobs are part time (full time minus 2 or 4 hours... so they don\'t have to classify you as full time...) to start anyway.

Best of both worlds? Or recipe to self destruction with stress?

Do both. You\'re young and it won\'t be that hard. If it gets to be a grind, you can let the bartending go and stay focused on your career. This will give you the bartending experience to back and dabble later if you decide you\'re social life isn\'t hot enough in the your career job. Have fun - this is a fun period of your life. New career, no school, lots of babes, etc... Enjoy it brother!

I agree with Big John

Seeing as how you\'re not sure of exactly what you want to do yet, you are in a perfect position to experiment with a few different career interests. Try to set yourself up for a stable career in your 30\'s by defining your interests, gaining experience, and completing any further education, if you want. I think it\'s hard to make a \"wrong\" career choice at your age.

@sizemic

Holy crap man!

I\'ve read all of your posts but didn\'t realize until now (I know, I\'m a dumb ass), that you were so young! (I may have read of your \"youngness\" previously but forgot). Honestly, you sound far more mature than your age. I\'m thankful for that. Some on this board will push you towards the bar-tending gig... others not. I\'d say, you\'re young. Do what feels right. I\'ve done the \"suit and tie\" thing for years. Worked in IT and finance. Now I\'m, well, happily self-employed (in the sex[-ish] industry. Good money. Good hours. GREAT BENEFITS!

You\'re young and can make mistakes. It\'s up to you what you choose but I just want to say: Sometimes we look back on life and think we\'ve screwed up. But some of us realize that those experiences were \"learning\" experiences. Maybe you need to go through a few yourself. Maybe not.

Only now (in my mid-30s) have I worked successfully in the sex(-ish) industry. But i wouldn\'t give it back. Love every minute. Just realize (bartenders included!) that youth and looks go with age. And are very necessary for the long term if you\'re serious about this. Save money while you can! Most are stupid and blow it all. Mind your future...

You need not hurry up to \"mature.\" You have plenty of time to do what you want. Follow your ! You could do both, maybe become a bartender but then take a workshop here or there or any other short term program that will help you later on, while you continue having fun.
Theer are no right nor wrong decisions, only different routes that take you toward a different experience.

MHN- mind my asking what you mean by sex(ish) business? What is it you do? You don\'t have to answer specifically, but is it sales or porn or...?

@Rondo

Let\'s not kid ourselves. We like sex. That\'s my industry. I promote it, I direct films (kinda kinky/non-standard ones!) and I do other stuff on the side. People pay good money and I RESPECT that. I hope that I provide something for them that they can truly enjoy.

Not sure if this answers your question. But please feel free to ask more. I have no hangups about what I do.

Hmm MHN does it involve filming / taking pictures of couples who would like to have their own homemade, but professional style pornography featuring themeselves? I have heard of this if such is the case. Also thank\'s for the age compliment!

I am thinking about it very very hard. These next couple of years are definitely years of transition for me and I would like to make the best of them, yet still position myself to do well in the future.

My younger brother (19) also just didn\'t get accepted into college so I am tempted to move in with him into either a downtown apartment or buy a house near downtown and rent out the other space to students.

At least throughout all of this I do have the family business to fall back on. Unfortunately it is the Painting trade and not Plumbing or Electric. Painting generally has the lowest wages out of all the trades, high competition (you don\'t need to have any formal training to call yourself a \"painter\") so there are a lot of low-ballers out there and material prices have increased 20% or more in the last 5 years.

Here\'s my ideal situation... let me know if this seems far fetched...

- Take entry level position at the financial firm.
- Bartend on Fri / Sat night when the club is open.
- After a couple of years if I move up in the financial industry leave the bartending world for the college kids, if the finacial feild is stagnant and boring find something else...

My only draw back to anything right now is my debt. 4 rounds of PMMA and 5 years of school have left me with a good chunk of debt that needs to be paid off...