The Hunt For a New Career

As I said in the first post, I have quit my job at a popular bar in the 5 Points neighborhood of Raleigh. This has been a long time coming actually, though there were some events that sped the process along a bit. Have you ever worked so hard and so long at something, only to be eternally unable to shake the feeling that your eggs were in the wrong basket? No matter how many hours I put in, no matter how much fun I had behind that bar, I got absolutely no joy out of it whatsoever. Every time I quit working at a bar, and went and found a "better" job, it felt like I was either taking a step backwards in life, or, at the very best, sideways.

So now I am in the hunt for not just a new job, but a new career path. How scary is that? :-) I have decided, after talks and advice and much self-assessment to pursue jobs in public relations. I have a friend at the N&O (the local newspaper) helping me get started. I have known for a while that I wanted be a lobbyist eventually, and pr work (specifically press relations) seems to be a good way to start down that path. Plus, people have told me my whole life that I had a way with words and people, so I might as well take those skills away from an industry with only three possible levels of promotion (assistant manager, stuck-in-a-depressing-rut-general manager, and my-god-how-can-i-lose-so-much-money-so-quickly owner) to one with true advancement possibilities. Not to mention, how great will it be to finally work in an industry where companies are run by people who actually have the training and education to run a business. The main qualification every manager of almost every restaurant or bar you have ever been to has been an ability to carry food and write down orders without fucking up or pissing anybody off. That guy in charge of your local pub most likely has no clue how to turn income into profits. That is why restaurants last 6 years or less- untrained college dropouts run them. I have worked in bars that grossed $40,000 a week and LOST money! Simply because the people running it knew how to smile and ask if you would prefer Bacardi to house rum, but had no idea what to do with that extra $1.25 once they coaxed you into spending it. (Oh, and a tip- when you are out to eat, and the waiter asks you if you want something you didn't order, pay attention to see if he or she is nodding their head slightly. That is the oldest trick in the book. If I nod while asking you if you want to upgrade or add something, it is almost guaranteed you will say yes without thinking about it. Sucker.)

Anyway, I've gotten off point.