What's my bar job worth?

I recently started a bar job at uni and whilst being a great little earner to feed my shopping habits, it's also got some other perks that may be overlooked. So whilst Mum and Dad might say you "need to concentrate on your studies", or you just think you've got too much reading to do (but you're not doing it are you, you're watching Iplayer and eating biscuits), you could be missing out on the benefits of a part time job at uni: 

1) Widen your connections. 

From people that pop in for a drink to the people you work with, you create contacts in people that know you well, because they work with you a lot, and therefore are perfect to get in touch with in the future for work. Saying that, sometimes it's nice to just get away from the people you see all the time and you might make friends for life in a part time job. 

2) It's still relevant work experience! 

Some may say a bar job offers no value when you apply for a "real job", but that is just not true. It shows you have something about you, going out and getting a job to support yourself. It also shows you're interested in more than just your studies. You do gain useful skills, for instance, team work, organisation (planning your degree work around your job), plus many more. 

3) You learn how to pull a pint 

I don't mean you literally learn how to pull a pint, as this could apply to any part time job at University. I mean you learn basic life skills, such as getting yourself up in the morning for work. Interacting with new people. If you've never worked a day in your life before, you will be a lot more nervous the first day you do go to work than if you've been going to work for a few days a work for the past two years, or even just a year! 

4) Try and stay in the job

I'm not saying aspire to work in a bar forever, but not packing it in too quickly could be the best thing you ever do... By showing you have worked somewhere continuously for a couple of years, you will be able to show dedication to a job, as well as overcoming hurdles. There are some graduates that can't say they have stayed in a job for longer than a few months; that doesn't scream reliability. Don't be that guy. Give it a proper go. 

Like I said earlier, this isn't just about bar jobs, but any job at uni. Remember any experience is good experience and the value placed on a part time job by employers is vastly underrated.