[saint_fiasco]

What does the author think a barista is? Are they not an "asset" to their employers too?

They are exploited as much as any other "human resource" and they don't even make a lot of money to compensate.

[agumonkey]

I'd say it's a matter of perspective. Nobody ever told you barista was special, and requires years of school, etc etc. So you don't feel disappointed when you end up as a "tool". Whereas being a graduate that ends up treated like a cashier at a mall does create some deep internal dissonnance.