How Much Do Baristas Earn? Is Working at Starbucks a Promising Career? The Current State and Future Prospects of Baristas

Should You Become a Barista?

This is a question that many coffee enthusiasts have pondered and struggled with. In this era of coffee's popularity, the barista profession has gradually become what people describe as "just a job to get by" in conversation... But beyond making coffee, do baristas really have no room for development?

Why Do You Want to Be a Barista?

First, let's think about a question: Why do you want to be a barista? (Take 3 seconds to think about it) "Because I love coffee" "Because I love drinking coffee" "Because I love making coffee" "Because being a barista gives me a sense of accomplishment" "Because baristas seem artistic, and it's the ideal life I envision" "Because a barista's work looks easy and comfortable"...

(Please remove the monitor in my mind) Haha, there's no need for monitoring, because most people who are now working as baristas thought exactly this way when they started and then entered the profession... However, after entering the industry, they discovered that being a barista wasn't as wonderful as they had imagined, because besides knowing how to make coffee and understanding coffee knowledge, you also need to have excellent social skills, be able to repair various plumbing and furniture, know photography, have kidneys that can hold urine, a stomach that can endure hunger...

Haha, just kidding~ The main problem is that the salary isn't as ideal as imagined, with monthly wages only between 3k-5k, and the work isn't as easy as thought either. Pour-over coffee isn't appreciated by that many people, and you have to face different customers' evaluations of your brewing. You feel uncomfortable, and then realize you haven't really learned much... Therefore, many baristas begin to feel lost after working for a period, then think this industry seems to have no development prospects, and finally choose to change careers.

Does the Barista Profession Really Have No Development Space?

Many people think that a barista's job is just making coffee, but in reality, many people haven't truly realized the diversity of the entire coffee industry and its future development potential. Coffee specialization isn't just limited to specialty coffee, and "barista" is merely a general term. One can be a roaster, trainer, café operator, coffee competitor, coffee competition judge, and so much more.

Feel that you don't fit in with any of these? No, no, no, you can do it too! But the prerequisite is to step out of your comfort zone and not be content with the status quo. Baristas feel they have no prospects because they spend too much time behind the counter, researching how to make coffee taste better and how to create beautiful latte art, enjoying the sense of accomplishment brought by customers' approval.

When we look closely at those successful coffee professionals, how many of them are obediently standing behind the counter? They continuously learn all knowledge about coffee beans—knowledge that isn't just about brewing but can be as detailed as how earthworm species can affect coffee cultivation issues... Don't think these have nothing to do with baristas—coffee growers are also baristas, and coffee bean selectors are also baristas.

Baristas have great development potential; it's just that everyone has limited themselves to the space of making coffee.

Image source: Internet

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