Story By: Maddie Lajewski
Photos by: Jack Reeber and Maddie Lajewski
The sound of turning book pages and the smell of coffee in the morning while at the library. The sound of liquor guns and glasses clinking at night.
Bartending is a common job for many college students because of the hours and money, but it can be difficult balancing the late and long hours at work, with a full class schedule.
“It’s quite busy with having a full schedule in college and trying to balance work and school, as well as a social life,” Blackstone bartender Sadie VanGuilder said. “It can get kind of hectic, but I would say overall it adds some fun because I’m still able to socialize with people while I’m working. Definitely late nights with bartending, then having to study on top of that. It’s difficult sometimes, but I really like it.”
VanGuilder is a pre-medical student, studying biochemistry with the hopes of becoming a dermatologist. Organization and a consistent routine are the keys to success for student bartenders. The hours can be draining and the amount of sleep they get can be easily impacted, which makes planning and organization essential to avoiding burnout.
Bartending is a common job for many college students because of the hours and money, but it can be difficult balancing the late and long hours at work, with a full class schedule.
“It’s quite busy with having a full schedule in college and trying to balance work and school, as well as a social life,” Blackstone bartender Sadie VanGuilder said. “It can get kind of hectic, but I would say overall it adds some fun because I’m still able to socialize with people while I’m working. Definitely late nights with bartending, then having to study on top of that. It’s difficult sometimes, but I really like it.”
VanGuilder is a pre-medical student, studying biochemistry with the hopes of becoming a dermatologist. Organization and a consistent routine are the keys to success for student bartenders. The hours can be draining and the amount of sleep they get can be easily impacted, which makes planning and organization essential to avoiding burnout.
“I try to use a planner a lot,” VanGuilder said. “I set up my schedule sometimes even by the hour of what I’m going to get done because that’s really the only way I can do it. I use my planner a lot and I go to the library quite often just to make sure that I have a separation between home, school and work.”
Darius Johnson began working at The Cabin two years ago and worked his way up to the position of bartending. This position led him to discover his true passion and what he wants to do with his life: owning and operating his own sports bar. “It’s very stressful because I also have another job on top of this,” Johnson said. “So between both jobs and classes, it’s definitely a lot and it’s taxing, but it’s still good money. For what I want to do for my career, it helps my resume and brings more experience for me.” |
In addition to studying sports communication and business at Mid-Michigan Community College and bartending at The Cabin, Johnson also has a second job at Midori Sushi and Martini Lounge. Balancing everything is essential, but the busy hours can make it difficult to spend time with friends and family.
“When school is off, it’s a lot easier to go out,” Johnson said. “But during the school year, I don’t go out as much. With two jobs, you can’t go out as much. But when I do go out, I’ll go with my friends because most of them are working at other bars around town, so we’re all on the same schedule.”
With the aspirations of running his own sports bar in the future, Johnson strives to create good cocktails and unique experiences for his patrons.
“I enjoy making drinks for people because that’s my thing,” Johnson said. “If I’m making something, I want to make it good. I want to make sure that I’m giving out what I would drink or eat myself. That’s what made me want to become a bartender and a good one.”
The stresses of trying to balance school and work can be intense. This stress can be amplified at the bar depending on the day, time and environment.
“I like the fast-paced day time shift because I feel like I’m the only bartender,” O’Kelly’s bartender Sierra Altman said. “If I’m hustling, I’m doing a good job. Whereas when I’m busy with other people, I get overwhelmed a lot. Sometimes the fast-paced at night can be too much.”
“When school is off, it’s a lot easier to go out,” Johnson said. “But during the school year, I don’t go out as much. With two jobs, you can’t go out as much. But when I do go out, I’ll go with my friends because most of them are working at other bars around town, so we’re all on the same schedule.”
With the aspirations of running his own sports bar in the future, Johnson strives to create good cocktails and unique experiences for his patrons.
“I enjoy making drinks for people because that’s my thing,” Johnson said. “If I’m making something, I want to make it good. I want to make sure that I’m giving out what I would drink or eat myself. That’s what made me want to become a bartender and a good one.”
The stresses of trying to balance school and work can be intense. This stress can be amplified at the bar depending on the day, time and environment.
“I like the fast-paced day time shift because I feel like I’m the only bartender,” O’Kelly’s bartender Sierra Altman said. “If I’m hustling, I’m doing a good job. Whereas when I’m busy with other people, I get overwhelmed a lot. Sometimes the fast-paced at night can be too much.”
Altman is a senior at Central Michigan University, studying psychology and sociology with a concentration in criminal justice. She first began bartending at Wayside Central and got pulled to O’Kelly’s during Central Michigan’s welcome weekend in fall 2022 when they were short on bartenders for the patio. She stayed at O’Kelly’s, and said it was a wonderful change in environment and energy.
“People are just a little bit more tolerable over here,” Altman said. “I don’t know if that’s because of age, since Wayside is 18 and older. The students are a little more tolerable over here and that gives it a better energy.” Sydney Eustice recently graduated from Central Michigan University in May 2022. She now teaches in Clare, but has also kept her bartending job at the Blue Gator, Blackstone and Encore. Between student teaching, teaching as a career and the late nights at the bar, Eustice sometimes gets no more than three to four hours of sleep per night. |
“I was in the midst of student teaching at the time,” Eustice said. “So it was a little bit different than going to normal classes on campus and going to work. I was coming from Clare to go to work. I still do that now because I work at the elementary school up there. So I’m doing basically the same thing I was doing then.”
Eustice enjoys getting to know the “regulars,” and seeing the different crowds of people who come into the bars and the friendships that are created there.
“The interesting thing about the nightlife situation in Mount Pleasant is there’s a great divide,” Eustice said. “There is your college crowd that comes in the Gator, we’re more known for fraternity or sorority crowds of people. Then you have your townie crowd, which is so interesting to see the two interact because I have townies that will come early, they’re there sometimes until close. But they interact and hang out with the younger kids that come in. It’s so crazy to see this wild mesh of people together.”
Eustice enjoys getting to know the “regulars,” and seeing the different crowds of people who come into the bars and the friendships that are created there.
“The interesting thing about the nightlife situation in Mount Pleasant is there’s a great divide,” Eustice said. “There is your college crowd that comes in the Gator, we’re more known for fraternity or sorority crowds of people. Then you have your townie crowd, which is so interesting to see the two interact because I have townies that will come early, they’re there sometimes until close. But they interact and hang out with the younger kids that come in. It’s so crazy to see this wild mesh of people together.”
Many students spend their Thursdays at the Blue Gator because of their drink specials. The mass amount of people and groups that come in throughout the night can be overwhelming for Eustice and her coworkers, and can become too much.
“The hardest part for me is taking a huge influx order of someone who is obviously ordering for the whole friend group,” Eustice said. “So it could be three or four drinks, grabbing beers, pouring from the draft, it’s a lot and they’ll just yell it at you in one go. You have to remember and that tends to get people, at least in the beginning, until you get used to remembering how to prioritize it in your head.” Although the long and hectic nights can be stressful, many bartenders in Mount Pleasant are in the same situation, be it having two jobs or going to school. These shared experiences make the overwhelming shifts more bearable and create a strong bond between the bartenders. |
“I love my coworkers,” Eustice said. “We’re a little family, we hang out. These are people that I had never met and we all went to the same school. We take care of our own. Even the new people coming in, we have new bartenders coming on a lot and we know that we have to take care of these people because they’re getting into something that can be really overwhelming at times. Training for bartending in a college town is so much different than anywhere else. You have to get thrown to the wolves to really know if you’re going to make it or break it. It’s a lot.”