When students come to college they get all kinds of job experiences, including the unique job of being a bouncer at a bar. 

Daniel Gates, junior in kinesiology and bouncer at The District, said he stumbled upon getting his job as a bouncer.

“I went into the liquor store at AJ’s one day and the boss of the bar said I was a pretty big guy and asked me if I had any experience with bouncing. I said no but told him I knew a couple of his current employees and he gave me a chance to try it out,” Gates said.

Matthew Sturges, senior in industrial technology, and Collin Goedken, junior in computer engineering, had a different experience as bouncers at AJ’s Ultra Lounge.

“Basically a friend got me the job, he was a friend of mine that I used to lift with in the gym, and he asked me one day, ‘Hey, would you like to be a bouncer and see how it is?’ I said sure,” Sturges said.

Goedken said he got his job through a regular application. 

All three agree being a bouncer is one of the most fun jobs they have ever had, though the hours take some getting used to.

“More or less, every job has its stresses, but for the most part it’s nice to meet people and have some fun,” Gates said.

With balancing school and work, and cheerleading for Gates, the hours can be both a blessing and a challenge.

“That’s one of the reasons I like being a bouncer — you don’t have to work during the day. I’m computer engineering, so its kind of perfect. I can have a job and still go to school, it’s pretty simple to do,” Goedken said.

A typical night for a bouncer includes coming into work around 9 or 10 p.m. and getting the bar stocked and cleaned. A night typical ends around 2:30 or 3 a.m., depending on when cleaning gets finished.

As expected, working as a bouncer brings some interesting experiences.

“It’s pretty entertaining, but sometimes it’s a hassle,” Sturges said. “You never know what’s going to happen in a night. Some nights it can be complete chaos.”

Sturges said the most interesting encounter with being a bouncer is when someone too drunk is kicked out. Sometimes people are so drunk they forgot they were kicked out and later will try to get back into the bar, they said.

Gates gets his most interesting encounters when he finds a fake ID.

“Four or five times a day people will scream at you and tell you why you’re stupid and why you’re wrong,” Gates said. “I’ve had people scream at me, telling me they’re going to call the cops to come verify it.”

All bar employees are required to attend a monthly meeting hosted by Ames Police that educates them on how to detect a fake ID as well as common fake IDs circulating through Ames.

Different bars have different policies when they stumble across a fake ID.

“Basically if a fake ID were to come in, it definitely will get caught, it will get confiscated and you can laugh at the stupid expression on their face,” Sturges said.

“If its just an ID that doesn’t look like you, we have the right to refuse. A lot of times we will say you can have your ID back but we’re not going to let you in tonight,” Goedken said.

Gates said a fake ID just guarantees the person will not get into the bar that night. 

“If it’s fake, we tell the person they’re not getting in but to have a good night and give them their ID back and that’s it,” Gates said.

At the end of the day, all three agreed that being a bouncer has been their most entertaining job.