As a bartender of many, many years, doing a course will not help you get a job. The training courses just suck you in and deplete your savings. Find a place that you can do bar back stuff ( a lot of schlepping!) listen, learn and do any/everything the bartender asks. Fill in when needed and pick up on tricks of the trade. Most of your local places are shots and beer. For the more complicated drinks, Ask The Customer!, he/she will generally know what his/her favorite drink consists of. BTW. never makes the drinks too strong, the customers go home earlier, the bar tab and tips are smaller. You want to keep the customers around as long as possible. I have made up to $800 in a single evening by not overpowering my pours. Of course, I worked in DT Boston and that is not an average for the burbs.