Barista to Tech Interviews
/By Hylan Joseph
The barista to tech interview series started with a fight and I like good fight. I found an old e-mail from a friend who I had asked for support. This was right around the time when the guild was first starting;
“If someone is happy being a barista, they probably will not aspire to be a technician. It’s like the difference between the musicians (artists), and the sound/lighting system operators (technicians). There are significant reasons why one is on the stage and the others are behind the mixing/control
At the end of the day, I have no expectation to find or make good techs of just anyone from within the general population. We want to locate people who already use and like tools, and those who have the mental acuity to comprehend complex systems and can diagnose fault conditions. These are hands-on people who may aspire to learn and grow in a technical area. These folks are the target audience for this training material.”
I have problems with this comment, it makes broad assumptions about baristas and café workers. It’s also clearly gatekeeping. I was a barista for 15 plus years from the age of 18 to about 35, off and on. My decision to become a tech and service manager was based on my desire to remain in the coffee industry coupled with the need to pay my bills. When I got started, I couldn’t tell you what a solenoid was nor did I own tools. Well, maybe I owned a screwdriver.
One of the reasons the guild was founded was to create opportunities through education and networking in our industry. We want to support cafe workers who are passionate about our industry and want to grow in the industry but may not want to roast or go into ownership or management.
My initial decision was to write a detailed article about this why it was wrong and rant like an old man but realized my story is no longer important. What is important is the people who are trying to make this change now. Techs who have been in this industry for a long time like me need to watch and listen to what these new techs are experiencing so we can support them as they move to take over as leaders in our industry.
Over the next three months, the blog will feature two interviews per month of café workers who chose to change their career and migrate to be a tech.
If you have a story related to this subject I’d like to hear from you and talk to you about your experience, please reach out to me at hylanjoseph@protonmail.com.
With that, I’d like to introduce Frank Freeman and Madeleine Longoria-Garcia.