You’ve been 21 for a while and the bar scene is nothing new. You could suggest the perfect place to anyone for any occasion, and your friends stalk your Facebook page to see where the party is on any given night. You’re a bar expert.

No doubt, by now you’ve found yourself wondering what it might be like to be on the other side of the bar. Surely you’ve tried every drink on the menu and then some – it can’t be that hard to mix them, right?

The old myth that bars won’t hire someone with just bartending school under their belts is dead.

“Imagine someone comes into your work claiming they can do your job just as well as you can for the same amount of pay with only two weeks of school,” San Diego Bartending School owner Matt Machado said. “You would be offended, right?”

Machado and the teachers at San Diego Bartending School encourage students to learn as much as they can, make lots of mistakes and get a feel for the bar while they’re in class so they look like naturals in the job front.

San Diego Bartending School, located on Mission Gorge Road in Mission Valley, offers two-week courses for those interested in learning the ins and outs of the bar. In class, students learn about alcohol, how to mix and serve drinks, the etiquette of bartending and the laws surrounding the bar business. Students also learn bar terminology, free pouring and measuring, customer service, and even how to increase tips.

The best (and certainly most useful) part of the class is that students spend about eight of the 10 days of the course getting hands-on experience mixing drinks. The practice bottles are filled with colored water, so students can mix as many drinks as they want and make as many mistakes as they need to without wasting a drop of liquor.

Everything needed for the class is included in the price. The school offers a hefty discount for San Diego State students.

After students complete the 30 hours required for graduation, teachers will assist with putting together a resume and offer advice on nailing the interview and keeping the job. Graduates are then ready to go into the workforce immediately.

San Diego Bartending School has a Facebook page devoted to posting local job listings and maintains relationships with bars and restaurants in the area specifically seeking the school’s graduates.

If you have considered swapping your barstool for a shaker or just want to make some extra cash, bartending school might be the way to go. More details on San Diego Bartending School are available at sandiegobartending.com