UC Davis Brewing program need advice.

[Eluna]

I am trying to make a difficult decision of whether i should transfer on to a 4 year college OR get a A.S and a degree in Bio sciences and take my college courses in pre calculus and then go for my Diploma in Brewing examination (DBE) at UC davis for my brewing career.... Should i try to get a head start in my brewing career as fast as possible or should i focus on my education in college? I have no clue since i havent found any guidelines except for UC davis Prerequisites Link: http://extension.ucdavis.edu/unit/b...Diploma+in+Brewing+Examination+Review+Session

 

[Pommy]

If your not in a rush then it is always worth spending the time to study to learn and earn qualifications. If you want to move along quicker I doubt it will hold you back too much in the long term. It all depends what your goals are for what you want to do if you could choose.

 

[Eluna]

yeah that's the difficult thing because i know i am capable of transferring to a 4 year college and getting a real degree, But would it be more beneficial to get into brewing field earlier rather than later and get real hands on experience. im 21 years of age and my goal has been set very high as i want to become a master brewer but in this job field i haven't been able to find guides to something i can put on my resume other than what i have found from uc davis which leaves me unconfident.

 

[McHaven]

No offense, but you shouldn't be saying your age here unless you're over 21. You're not allowed to register for the site if you're under 21. Expect a moderator to teach you the hard way soon.

 

[broadbill]

Edit: I have been brewing since i was 15

Have you ever worked in a commercial brewery before? This type of experience means loads to someone looking through resumes (or so I understand).

I also understand that having completed academic brewing training doesn't make you a shoe-in for a brewing career. Don't need a 4-year education to much out mash-tun and clean equipment, which is where you start when you go down a brewing career path regardless of your academic qualifications.

My advice about university education:

Remember, colleges are out to make money just like any other business and they offer courses/programs people want to take, not always because there is an identified need for that type of education in a given industry.

In other words, the UC Davis program may be in existence because students wanted to enroll in that program, not because it is a pre-requisite for the industry.

All that above, is my opinion. If you are looking for more information this is the wrong place to look. I'd check out probrewer.com instead.

good luck!

 

[Eluna]

Have you ever worked in a commercial brewery before? This type of experience means loads to someone looking through resumes (or so I understand).

I also understand that having completed academic brewing training doesn't make you a shoe-in for a brewing career. Don't need a 4-year education to much out mash-tun and clean equipment, which is where you start when you go down a brewing career path regardless of your academic qualifications.

My advice about university education:

Remember, colleges are out to make money just like any other business and they offer courses/programs people want to take, not always because there is an identified need for that type of education in a given industry.

In other words, the UC Davis program may be in existence because students wanted to enroll in that program, not because it is a pre-requisite for the industry.

All that above, is my opinion. If you are looking for more information this is the wrong place to look. I'd check out probrewer.com instead.

good luck!

thank you for the advice i will check out probrewer

 

[Eluna]

No offense, but you shouldn't be saying your age here unless you're over 21. You're not allowed to register for the site if you're under 21. Expect a moderator to teach you the hard way soon.

what age i never said i was of age under 21 that would be Illegal

 

[Eluna]

i am going to continue referring to this post and any information would be helpful!

 

[TheBreweryUnderground]

Use the money you have for an education and start a brewery now, for a degree at UC Davis you could easily start a nanobrewpub and own it all yourself instead of slaving for someone else's establishment. As a somewhat recent college graduate that's what I wish I would have done, but it's also very common for people to change majors/fields. I think anymore the cost of a piece of paper is not worth the investment, I think getting your hands dirty as soon as possible is what matters. If brewing seriously needed a degree then why would so many brewers be on this forum? :End rant:

Seriously good luck, and beware of the probrewer forum. I'm sure they're all great people IRL but they are big nagative nancies for new/small guys.

 

[Eluna]

Use the money you have for an education and start a brewery now, for a degree at UC Davis you could easily start a nanobrewpub and own it all yourself instead of slaving for someone else's establishment. As a somewhat recent college graduate that's what I wish I would have done, but it's also very common for people to change majors/fields. I think anymore the cost of a piece of paper is not worth the investment, I think getting your hands dirty as soon as possible is what matters. If brewing seriously needed a degree then why would so many brewers be on this forum? :End rant:

Seriously good luck, and beware of the probrewer forum. I'm sure they're all great people IRL but they are big nagative nancies for new/small guys.

Yes i have thought of possibly starting my own business but at my age (of 21) the initial costs are enormous and extremely risky. I understand what you are saying and im at a really confusing point in my life whether education is the way to go and or work for a brewery for a couple years or so till i get a resume suitable for a company of what i feel "happy" with and possibly start a brewery later in life.

 

[wheels4]

If you have the desire and drive (most think they do but dont) go right to work. Get a job working in a brewery as soon as you can. They are becoming more popular and are springing up all over. The good thing about nanobreweries is just about every town can support one. Most men love to drink beer and if you make good beer they will come. I remember when the brewery opened behind my house on Long Island...now they are bigger then the owners ever imagined (yes I know them). They make great beer and are rewarded for it. All it takes is guts...Im still looking for mine. Its much easier to take this step when your young and have no kids. If you do it now and have the drive when you get to my age (42) you can be on top of your own little world. If I didnt have a wife and kids to support I would be doing this now, but Im on a 5 year plan and have some investors lined up. My beer sucks though . Good luck with your decision...if it was mine I would go to work as it has worked great for me so far.

 

[TheBreweryUnderground]

Yes i have thought of possibly starting my own business but at my age (of 21) the initial costs are enormous and extremely risky. I understand what you are saying and im at a really confusing point in my life whether education is the way to go and or work for a brewery for a couple years or so till i get a resume suitable for a company of what i feel "happy" with and possibly start a brewery later in life.

Two people of the Forbes 30 under 30 Food & Wine (totally bull**** capitalist nonsense) were brewers. Don't let the youth factor keep you from doing something, we've inherited enough from the terrible baby boomer generation, take a look at some of the kickstarter pages for breweries, some suck while others are better. Pipeworks Brewery in Chicago is getting started by two young guys and has their funding taken care of. Just my 2 cents.

 

[BigTim559]

First time poster... long time lurker. New hombrewer and college grad dealing with the same thoughts (is more expensive education worth it?). This thread caught my eye.

I won't pretend to know what the right answer is but I will say what I have decided to do...

I have some money for a start-up ($25K approx... plus potential investors) and I would like to do the contract brewing route to start a brand and build it. I, however, have a lot to learn and if I were to do the school route it would eat up a ton of that money.

I've decided to take some of the short course classes with U.C. Davis ($300 for the homebrewing weekend class, $1300 for the intensive science for practical brewing class) , spend a little money to get my homebrew setup so I can fine-tune some recipes, and I am working on getting an internship at a brewery. In addition I want to start entering as many beers as possible into as many competitions as possible.

The way I see it... if I have some medals, some classes/education on paper, some work experience, some good recipes, and still plenty of my own savings for a start-up... I am in pretty good shape.

Is this the right path for you? Not necessarily. Just perhaps consider not putting everything into 1 path or the other. To say you can't have some formal education as well as work experience is a false dichotomy.

Good luck!

PS
I am 27 and as I approach 30 I realize I want to take some risks sooner than later (before I marry my girl and start popping out kids). My dad gave up his music career when he had kids and I, personally, am not ok with doing that to myself.

 

[Waynep005]

I would recomend UC Davis not only do they have a very good brewing program you would get a BA from a great University that would be a great advantage even if you do not end up in the brewing industry.