The over-educated, underemployed Starbucks Barista - truth or fiction? (employees, sample, highest)
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I see a lot on C-D and other forums about people with English PhDs etc... being baristas at Starbucks.
I'm wondering if there is any data to actually prove that.
Lately I've been chatting with the Starbucks staff whenever I go to different locations. I've now done this at about a dozen locations around me and when I travel so not a big sample size... however...
The only people that have a degree (or admit to it) are the store managers for the most part. A Starbucks store manager makes in the 45-60K range in my area, so that's an acceptable position for a college graduate. There were a few baristas who were recent graduates who said they were in the process of looking for a different job. I don't know if they found jobs - but of that minority most of them did move on.
The VAST majority of the baristas told me they were in college or had plans to start college at some point relatively soon.
No one ever said they had a master's or higher and quite frankly most were too young to have accomplished that. The average age of the baristas I've talked to is definitely in the mid 20s, probably 27-28 at the highest except the managers.
When I worked in these kinds of jobs usually the employees were going to school with that one job or had a second job besides that. In my experience the ones who got stuck there were the people who got an associates and had no plans to go back for a bachelors. Often these were degrees in such things like psychology.
I don't live in a major city, which I am pretty sure the masters holder working at Starbucks would be a little more common.
myth to me, they want to work there so it's their choice... how are they underemployed if they have a job? just not liking it doesnt mean they are underemployed. if they only get 15hrs a week, that might be under employed but they can find another 15 hours if they wanted too... again they choose to not work more hours for things like family or school. you dont call people working 50+ hours over employed do you? like if they only worked 40, they would hire a second person too?
I personally don't know a barista that fits this bill, but I was in a similar situation of being overeducated and underemployed. Like s1alker said, this is most likely to happen in small towns without much opportunity.
myth to me, they want to work there so it's their choice... how are they underemployed?
If they have the ability to get a degree at a reputable institution then they are capable of much more (with proper training) than serving cofee or other such low skill/low wage jobs. That is underemployment wasted human potential.
If they have the ability to get a degree at a reputable institution then they are capable of much more (with proper training) than serving cofee or other such low skill/low wage jobs. That is underemployment wasted human potential.
So everyone that can throw a ball but not an athlete is under employed? When did employment status start to get measured by potential? Most people start out at the low rungs, degree or not...
So everyone that can throw a ball but not an athlete is under employed? When did employment status start to get measured by potential? Most people start out at the low rungs, degree or not...
and since American companies don't believe in training many are stuck at the bottom rung or can't even get on the ladder.
As for the baseball analogy few people are able to throw the ball with enough skill to add value to a professional team but many people are capable of performing functions with enough skill to add value to a company.
I personally don't know a barista that fits this bill, but I was in a similar situation of being overeducated and underemployed. Like s1alker said, this is most likely to happen in small towns without much opportunity.
When you have 50,000 people coming to places like NYC or LA and there are 1,000 jobs they have the education for ... you have 49,000 people waiting tables part time because it is easier for the restaurant or whatever to schedule.
Starbucks is actually a decent company to work for. Even at the lowest end in a coffee shop, how is serving coffee any different than pushing papers and managing social media accounts? We're ALL monkeys you know.
I do know a couple of Starbucks baristas that have bacherlors and 1 with a masters degree that work in the Fort Collins area, although it is hard for me to feel bad for them as all 3 have told me that they had jobs in their career fields offered to them. However 1 is married and her husband has a good job in the area, and the other 2 have no interest in leaving Fort Collins believing that they will land their dream job in the area tomorrow, or next week, or soon at least.
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