I was a bartender for over 15 years in the San Francisco Bay Area. I worked in a lot of different types of places, but mostly did craft cocktails at mid to high end cocktail bars and restaurants. I've managed bars, created cocktail menus, done private events, you name it. I have a ton of experience in that world. I wanted to get out about 5 years ago, for a variety of reasons. Covid hit the whole scene pretty hard, customer service started to really become exhausting, and I stopped drinking completely so I began to find the whole thing was a dead end for me.
After that I helped a former friend who was a chef open his pop-up food business. It worked for a while and I made some good money. I basically ran the whole thing while he just signed checks and acted like a big boss man the whole time, though, so recently I bowed out. I learned a ton about managing a small business, food service and preparation, and event planning. The job didn't seem to have a future, nor would it ever offer things like benefits or a retirement plan.
I have a college degree from a prestigious university. It's a BA in Creative Writing with a minor in Business Admin. I wanted to be a writer and teacher when I was younger, but circumstances with my family led me to get a bartending job after college and I ended up really enjoying it.
Now I'm 44 years old. I have no debt and a decent amount of savings. I have no idea what to pursue, or where the job market is even going. I'm probably going to pick up some bartending shifts for now just because it will be easy. But where can I go with the skills I've honed? I'm burnt out on the customer facing roles, it's draining and exhausting and people seem to be getting worse by the week. I want out of hospitality, and I'm pretty sure I'd hate anything in sales.
Any advice or personal stories would be greatly appreciated.