Finally, a Souvenir!
‘Show me the money’
Me to the HR
I was all excited to get a pair of crew shoes, a green apron, a visor, and my very own name tag while getting hired at minimum wage. As much as I was excited about getting hired at Starbucks, I had absolutely no idea that an adventure was awaiting me. While pursuing a degree, you can only work on campus for no more than 20 hours a week on a student visa, and this in itself limits many of your opportunities. After two months of getting started with my coursework, I landed a part-time job on campus, and here begins my journey of making money and paying the bills.
Is having a part-time job important? Simple answer: yes! A part-time job will get you your Social Security card (an important legal document in the US), which will get you a bunch of other legal documents and your credit card. My mom never supported having credit cards, especially after looking at my financial statements, but I believe it is important in this part of the world to build a good credit history. And it’s a vicious cycle, I suppose. Everything is hand-to-mouth. If I don’t work today, I can’t order groceries for tomorrow. So, is paying bills the only outcome?
I would say no. I am immensely grateful to have worked at Starbucks, not because it sounds cooler, but for a bunch of amazing friends I made who belong to different countries, cultures, and fields, of course. Spending 4 hours a day with people who take the time to get to know you as their coworker, who are supposedly your biggest cheerleaders at work, and who love to finish up all the tasks and close the store as soon as possible, honestly, makes you feel like going to work every single day. I didn’t even realize when I became a part of the ‘Starbucks No Managers’ WhatsApp group. Starbucks helped me maintain my sanity after getting yelled at by my PI. Yes, you’re a barista, you’re a cashier, you take out the trash, you clean the sink drains, you do the dishes, you mop the lobby, and yes, you know how each and every drink tastes for free! For me, more than the job, working with my favorite crew worked. It didn’t take a long time for us to become the Gossip Girls, including the guys.
A Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA), a paid one that I was rooting for, never fell into my lap as I had no experience in the wet lab to begin with. I had neither the privilege of doing an internship nor the opportunity to get a teaching assistantship. In my case, nothing worked. So, here I was, trying to get my bills paid and getting trained to become a certified barista. Crazy enough, but I think I have learned a lot! But I learned what?
This job would never add any value to your resume. Why haven’t you quit already?
-My mom.
Do I even like it? The part-time, yes. The course, yes. Since my department limits the opportunity to get a paid internship at a company or a research lab, and considering the fact that I have chosen to do my MS with a thesis, an internship is no longer a question. Sometimes, one might wonder why one doesn’t ask for money from your primary sponsor. You can save the hassle! In my opinion, your primary sponsor could pay for your necessities and not your luxuries. Financial independence matters, even if it’s in cents. Also, your confidence will be hampered even while communicating, and that’s okay. So, why give up on a chance to learn more about their accent? English is not my first language, and on top of that, I speak British English. In spite of asking good questions during presentations, the speaker would take some time to comprehend what I just said. American pronunciations are very divergent, and I don’t feel any shame in asking my coworkers to correct me if I can’t pronounce a word. I used to switch to my native language while explaining a difficult concept, but working at Starbucks helped me not to fumble for the right word anymore. Part-time work gives you much more than just money. It gives you the skills of managing your time, communication, technology (depending on your job type), networking, and enhancing your confidence. Apart from this, it satisfies my obsession with cleaning and organizing things. But if you ask me if it is worth letting your GPA slide, then let me tell you that nothing is worth letting your GPA slide. The amount of funds that go behind the course is insane, and that should always be something to motivate you to get a better-paying job in the industry and not just scare you instead.
My job gave me some of the coolest friends I have ever made, including an absolutely amazing boss that I will never forget, and a lesson to never spend a dime on Starbucks again. I have had so much of it already. The other day my boss said to me, “Sush, what are you pursuing?” to which I replied, “MS Physiology, I am training to become a researcher,” and she said, “Just making sure you guys won’t forget me when y’all make huge money, you better get me something someday!” and I never felt so heavy as I was making plans to quit already. My thesis work was in full swing, and it was becoming too difficult for me to manage as Starbucks physically drains you.
Hey, I'm planning to quit. I will send you my resignation email soon!
I don’t think I have ever felt so lonely since the time I have been in the US. I don’t really have peers or work colleagues; everything is monotonous here. Quite an intense course choice, I believe! On my last day at work, we successfully closed the store, and I went up to my boss and said, “Bye! It was lovely working with you guys, and you’re the best boss! I mean it.” I am sure she was sad as well, as she leaned forward to hug me, and very dramatically, I took off my visor and gave it to her, to which she said, “Keep it; it’s your gift from us.”
After 13 months, I stopped working at one of my favorite places and wondered how I would make friends again. How can I find people who are interested in me and my life stories? I guess all the plans were already made. All it needed was a bonfire and some beer. I can always have the best time with my lab team and can learn so much about their lives through their experiences. It turns out that the fear that I had been living with for the past fifteen months was only in my head. If given a chance, I could definitely be so much more than just a coworker.