Education & Classes in La Jolla

Mixology Bartending Academy prepares its pupils to work behind a bar top, teaching them drink recipes and serving etiquette, as well as informing them about alcohol safety and liabilities. Students learn from instructors with as much as 17 years of professional experience in a real bar setting that features glassware, working equipment, and buzzing neon signs.

Far from merely imparting basic bartender knowledge, Mixology aims to boost students' customer-service skills, netting more tips and tears of joy from satisfied customers, and an entire division of the company is focused on helping recent grads find jobs. Plus, after students hone their skills through the one- or two-week courses, they are encouraged to return to the school at any time to practice their craft under the watchful eye of an expert, free of charge.

"Music is my diet and dance feeds my soul," says "Salsa Susie" Ngyen, who quit a six-figure career at Xerox to start Ooh La La Dance Academy—in the midst of an economic crisis. Her risk paid off, because since then, the company's dance troop, the Cosabellas, earned the title of Best 2010 Performing Artist of the Year by Raw Artist and sparkled onstage for celebrity judges during a live-taping of America's Got Talent in 2011.

The Cosabellas not only entertain; they share their enthusiasm of dance with others by teaching kids and adult dance classes at Ooh La La Dance Academy. Boasting over 15 years of experience each, the instructors teach the dance they pioneered, a blend of Latin and burlesque, as well as fitness-inspired classes and classical dance forms such as ballet and The Beethoven Shuffle.

In bar classrooms outfitted with real equipment and experienced instructors, the students at Professional Bartenders School learn to mix, pour, and serve their way into the barkeeping industry. Courses ranging from six hours to two weeks instill pupils with the tenets of professional drinksmanship, such as free pouring, drink recipes, and customer service. Students fill glasses with spurts from soda guns, simulated liquor from real bottles, and garnishes carved from organic plastic lemons as they learn drink recipes and mixing techniques. Upon certification, newly minted bartenders receive lifetime job-placement help, with access to a database of hospitality employers.

While the average person spends thousands of hours stuck in traffic during a lifetime, the instructors at Learn To Fly San Diego prefer to rack up that time in the sky. Each member of the certified flight team keeps track of their time off the ground, with numbers ranging between 1,500 and 36,000 hours. As the propellers turn on Cessna and Piper planes, the pilots lead passengers on training flights and sightseeing tours. Students can also work with Learn To Fly San Diego to train for certification in occupations such as commercial pilot, certified flight instructor, and chauffeur for superheroes that can't really fly.

Pottery holds a unique place in human history: from clay bowls to sterling platters, housewares are both practical and artistic, at once a means of sustenance and a medium of expression. The latter is especially clear at A Colorful Universe, a vibrant workspace that immerses visitors in a cosmos of creativity, where they're free to transform pottery items, clay, and glass into personalized pieces of art. Along with regular classes, camps, and parties, special events enhance the experience of creating with activities suited for couples on a date or college students taking a night off from studying the dean's weaknesses. No matter the event, the studio's friendly staff is always available to demonstrate new techniques and help finish the pieces in the kiln.

As proprietor of Sew Inspired, Laura spreads her love for clothing design and assembly through creative sewing programs for children, teenagers, and adults. She starts kids out at the foundational level, encouraging them in the creation of simple projects such as crafting felt flowers or stitching smiley faces onto moms' best business suits. Teenage sewers take their learning into their own hands with self-directed sessions while tackling the more advanced concepts of sketching, patternmaking, and draping. Adults may opt to work on personal projects during unstructured open-sew studio times or hone their skills in three-week classes, during which they acquaint themselves with the sewing machine and set to work crafting A-line skirts.