Recently I decided to take on a part time job as a barista, and I'm getting increasingly annoyed with this topic with every day that I work.
My store is located in the central business district (CBD), where a majority of offices doing things related to business are located there. The people who visit the store each day are none other than business men and women, and the occasional tourists. These business men and women, I suppose, are mostly degree holders. And everyday, some idiots within these business men and women look down on us baristas... Just because we are standing behind the bar, making their drinks, serving them drinks.
They think that we are "lowly educated".
LOWLY EDUCATED.
My manager told me this story about her working at a store in NUS. The students look down on them because they think that none of the baristas behind the bar are "highly educated". And one day, one of the students even went up to one of them and asked: "What's your highest qualification?"
The barista answered with, "I'm currently a year 3 student in NUS."
And the student who shot the question was no doubt embarrassed.
I don't think jobs like mine are limited to what you may call the "lowly educated". As long you have a good attitude towards work, a hardworking nature, good customer service, you're qualified for the job. Who cares about qualifications?
Another thing. Qualifications may guarantee you a job in whatever you studied, BUT there's one thing it doesn't guarantee you with. And it's a good personality. If you look down on people just because you think that they are "lowly educated" then you have a crappy personality and I honestly hope you don't survive long in your job, because it's going to be hard.
Also, some of us baristas are way younger than you think. I'm 16 this year, and I graduated last month from secondary school, currently awaiting for my O levels results to be released next year. Firstly, I came out to work for experience and to earn money so that I can spend part of the money myself and since I'm earning money I can stop asking my parents for pocket money, thereby lightening their financial load. ("highly educated" people who look down on us, maybe you want to reflect on what you were doing when you graduated?) Secondly, I'm only 16 years old. I hope you don't think that I got a bachelor degree or something at this age, because I'm not a genius.
I only hope to get the message out that just because you spot people working as baristas, cashiers or whatever, don't ever judge them thinking that they have low qualifications. Quit being judgemental. If you judge others negatively, karma will bite you back in the ass someday. HARD.
