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Author Topic: Helpful Bachelor's Degree  (Read 5603 times)

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Helpful Bachelor's Degree
« Reply #15 on: January 05, 2017, 06:58:37 am »
Let's step in the back Jack, have a little sip Chip, empty that tank Frank....there must be 50 ways to lose your liver.


That's some funny s#@t.  I'm picturing Paul Simon strumming his guitar to this.  ;D
Jon H.

Offline Visor

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Re: Helpful Bachelor's Degree
« Reply #16 on: January 05, 2017, 05:45:48 pm »
   I'd have to side with the non-business school gguys, especially if you don't expect to be the next Sierra or Lagunitas. Having spent a decade successfully running a small business with nothing more than high school education and several decades in the blue collar trades, I understand that either you are the kind of person who can run a business or you aren't, no amount of schooling will ever change that. I too am working towards ruining my life by starting a brewery and am far more concerned with the learning more about the art of beer making than I am in perfecting my skills at driving a pencil.
   I'd imagine that the folks on this forum who are professional brewers would tell you that brewing in a commercial environment bears little resemblance to home brewing, I could of course be wrong. At risk of offending the folks with MBA's, the majority of the most successful small businessmen I've know had no formal business education, but they did have a healthy dose of good sense. If you can manage your personal finances you can probably handle the business aspects of running a small business. It aint rocket science - or bio-chemistry either.
I spent most of my money on beer, tools and guns, the rest I foolishly squandered on stupid stuff!

Offline majorvices

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Re: Helpful Bachelor's Degree
« Reply #17 on: January 05, 2017, 07:12:04 pm »

Smart move Major.
Let's step in the back Jack, have a little sip Chip, empty that tank Frank....there must be 50 ways to lose your liver.

Thankfully liver is fine but waistband has gotten way too tight. Like that rendition though.

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Helpful Bachelor's Degree
« Reply #18 on: January 05, 2017, 07:29:36 pm »
If you can't brew the business part is easy. Nothing from nothing leaves nothing

Offline reverseapachemaster

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Re: Helpful Bachelor's Degree
« Reply #19 on: January 07, 2017, 10:15:55 am »
I'd suggest two paths:

1. Engingeering; or

2. Accounting.

Engineering will give you practical knowledge in the construction and upkeep of the physical brewery.

Accounting, similarly, will give you practical knowledge of the business operations of the brewery.

Should you decide brewing is not for you then these are two degrees that open a lot of other job opportunities.

I'd advocate against a business degree. Business degrees are decent introductions to business operations but generally seem to be generic degrees to prepare a person to become a fungible white collar worker. Accounting overlaps a lot of the coursework but goes far deeper into business operations and financial issues that would be more helpful to somebody running a manufacturing and service business.

I also wonder why a bachelor's degree at all. It's a lot of money and a lot of time fulfilling degree requirements that are not directly related to brewery operations (especially if you do not have a bachelor's where you can skip over most of the core curriculum). It may be worthwhile to take first and second year courses in applicable subjects and not worry about a degree at all. Otherwise it's time and money you could apply to getting the brewery running.
Heck yeah I blog about homebrewing: Brain Sparging on Brewing

Offline majorvices

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Re: Helpful Bachelor's Degree
« Reply #20 on: January 07, 2017, 04:47:45 pm »
Yeah, not sure about accounting either. You will need to hire an accountant. Again, pick your poison. Are you going to be the brewer or the business manager. Almost impossible to wear both hats unless you are a teeny tiny brewery and then there really isn't much point because it just becomes a vanity project at that size.

My weakest area has been in lab work. There is a trend in brewing over the last decade where breweries hire a chemist to be over QC and sometimes the head brewer actually answers to the QC.A combination of skills: Brewing, Microbiology and Chemist tend to lend to the most valuable aspects in understanding QC which is arguably the most important aspect in brewing. That said, all the info you need for this level of microbiology, chemistry and brewing is pretty much available in books so I do agree that I'm not sure I wouldn't just forgo a 4 year education. That sounds like a royal PITA.

There are also short brewing, lab and chemistry coursesyou can take that would bring you up to speed very quickly without taking years of time.

Offline chinaski

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Re: Helpful Bachelor's Degree
« Reply #21 on: January 07, 2017, 07:07:29 pm »
I'd pursue which ever side of it you think you'd enjoy learning about most.  You'll get the most out of earning the degree if you're vested in learning something you're interested in, otherwise why do it?  No matter what degree you pursue, you will be learning a lot of things besides those that apply to the brewing world.

Offline reverseapachemaster

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Re: Helpful Bachelor's Degree
« Reply #22 on: January 08, 2017, 11:38:17 am »
Yeah, not sure about accounting either. You will need to hire an accountant. Again, pick your poison. Are you going to be the brewer or the business manager. Almost impossible to wear both hats unless you are a teeny tiny brewery and then there really isn't much point because it just becomes a vanity project at that size.

My point is not that having an accounting degree is a substitute for a professional accountant but that he would learn a lot more practical knowledge and skills by way of accounting over a generalized business degree.
Heck yeah I blog about homebrewing: Brain Sparging on Brewing