Should I go for a bartending (Mixology) degree?

I managed Ruby Tuesday restaurants for a decade, then I managed and bartended at a sports bar for over 7 years and I did not go to bartending school. I picked up the drink knowledge along the way. (also have had other restaurant/catering jobs)

If you want to, well, it's a way of learning but if you already drink and appreciate a variety of spirits, wines, mixed drinks, beers, then you might have more knowledge than you know and you'll mainly have to learn proportions, pour counts, (if they don't have metered spouts).

It's kinda like cooking - you have to know what goes together and how to balance ingredients but then again, sometimes we made up things that were just awful to mess with people.

The tips will vary depending on the type of place, the time of day/night, the day of the week, the mood of the place, your mood ... You could make $25 one shift, then make $200 the next, depending on those variables.

Why don't you get a part time job waiting tables, learn about service from there, then ease into bartending? A huge part of the food/bev industry is sales, and to make good sales, you need to know the product inside and out.

Bartending Degree

Personally I wouldn't. If you are a student it may not be difficult for you to find bar work or wait staff work (which may be minimum wage again + tips depending) - to me that would give you practical experience and allow you to decide whether this is a job field you are happy in.

I wouldn't waste my money on a random course on the off chance I enjoy it - most jobs will offer a degree of on job training (enough training to allow you to do the job - it may be as simple as working under guidance for the first week) - if bartendering work is something you wish to try I would suggest getting general bar staff work and seeing about learning through a job rather than a course.

get a second job as a barback to learn and see if it is something you like