Starting Over: How Paul Costanzo Found a New Life Behind the Bar

Paul Costanzo had spent nearly four decades in the corporate world when the recession dried up his opportunities. He had risen through the ranks in both the private and public sectors, was stationed nationally and internationally, and ran a major planning office with 75 staff members. Rather than wait it out, he enrolled at PBS and decided to try something completely different. He was the oldest student in his class and hadn't been in a classroom in over 35 years. Bartending was not a fallback plan - it was a deliberate choice to trade office stress for a more hands-on, social way to earn a living.

Paul connected with 3 classmates during the program and stayed in touch with 2 of them nine months later. He valued his instructor Patrick's real-world business insights as much as the cocktail training itself. After graduating, Paul was placed at Ford's Fish Shack in Ashburn, Virginia, where he worked daytime shifts for about three and a half months. From there he moved to Food Matters in Alexandria - the neighborhood Cheers, an organic specialty restaurant in Cameron Station that changed its menu monthly based on local organic producer deliveries. Paul worked evening shifts there for more than five months, making cocktails like April's "The Bit Mo' Honey" (tequila, Barejager Honey Liqueur, Kolsch beer, lemon, honey, salted rim). He then landed at Seasons 52 at Tysons Corner. Each job built on the last, and Paul found his rhythm quickly.

What stands out about Paul's story is not just the career change - it is the quality of life on the other side. Now over 60 and still bartending happily, Paul told us: "I don't go to bed worrying about my job." His other advice for career changers: "You need a slightly thick skin. Just let the bar comments roll off your back." For anyone considering a change later in life, Paul is proof that bartending is not just for twenty-somethings. The skills are learnable at any age, and the lifestyle can be exactly what you need.