Hi all, as I sit here almost 4 months since last working, the days seem to get longer as I go through them on autopilot. I am far from the hopeful person I was when this all began, I was certain it would end quickly and we could all get back to "normal". Over the past 4 months I have slowly started to 'grieve' the 'death' of the industry that we once knew and the lifestyle we grew to love. With all of this being said, the last few weeks have been the hardest, wrapping my head around the thought that even when this is over, I will be irrelevant in regards to a sommelier. I came here to reach out to the community to see how others are dealing with this? My mind has finally started to think of what else I can do.... and im not exactly hitting any sparks! When you are no longer in the career you love, what do you do? I have started to do some research on various programs, wine marketing, wine business etc.. however, I am not really sure what these courses accomplish? What skills will it provide? Hoping others have gone down the path of wine jobs outside of a restaurant and can shed some light.. because it is very dark in this corner.
Wishing this community the best, thank you in advance
I think our sommelier skills translate to ton of different roles. In the industry, we all know ex-somms turned successful sales reps, winemakers, wine marketers. I made the switch to education with a winery late last year, and love my job.
Sales and hospitality - two corner stones of being a sommelier - are beneficial outside of wine as well. I’ve always though being a recruiter would be a natural fit. Maybe working for a political campaign leading up to the election?
But sooner or later, restaurants will be back. Maybe not all the same ones we knew before, and maybe not with all the same concepts, but they will exist and there will be opportunities. When a redwood falls In the woods the resulting sunlight creates an explosion of growth on the forest floor. I’m excited to see what ambitious industry folks create with room to grow.