Bankers Turn to Bartending!
What are unemployed bankers doing to pay the bills these days? Meet Bryan Gunderson. He lost his job analyzing structured-equity investments at JPMorgan a few months ago. Now he's learning how to mix up Purple Hooters as a student at the New York Bartending School. Yes, it appears a growing number of people who, just a few months ago, were dropping thousands on bottle service at the city's clubs are the same ones who are now learning how to serve up drinks to other people.
One school reports that enrollment is up 53 percent from last October. And according to New York Bartending School director Tom Sisson, the 40-hour, $695 course is most appealing to "physicians, attorneys, people in the corporate world, [and] people who've suffered a job loss."
The bad news, of course, is that as long as slimy investment bankers aren't spending $600 on bottles of vodka, clubs and restaurants aren't hiring. But if these bankers-turned-bartenders do manage to end up finding work, you can be assured that when you saddle up to the bar, you'll be able to ask your friendly bartender for some free financial advice along with a cocktail.
Wall Street Jobless Try B-School, Mix Purple Hooters [Bloomberg]