They always told me I'd end up as a barista from majoring in journalism.
The Friday before Thanksgiving break, I practiced for my future day job by spending some time behind the counter at the Starbucks in the Student Center.
Working at Starbucks is intense. The action never stops. At no time during my shift was the line empty.
"It's mostly fast throughout the whole entire thing," said Meme Lapread, barista.
Even on what Tiger Dining assistant director Chris Riggs called the slowest day of the year, newcomers kept refilling the line.
To further complicate things, every customer wants something different. There's no mass-production at Starbucks. Every drink has to be mixed by hand.
This means memorizing which drinks get mixed, which get ice, which need whipped cream and which take none of those.
Remembering the right container from the long rows of syrups is even harder when the line's down the hallway.
"It's not stressful," said supervisor JoAnn Ashbrook. "But it is at first. It's real stressful at first."
Ashbrook, who's worked at Starbucks for three years, admitted the job almost overwhelmed her, initially.
"I almost quit when I first started because I was like, 'Oh, it's just crazy,'" Ashbrook said. "I said, 'I can't let this beat me.' I'm not that kind of person... It's just like driving a car now."
The workers at Starbucks never showed signs of slowing down, despite the high traffic volume.
I had trouble keeping up, relying on Lapread and Ashbrook's patience to show me how to make each drink.
Ashbrook even took the time to greet several customers by name and wish them a happy Thanksgiving.
Riggs said he tries to instill this attitude in everyone who works there.
"What I tell my guys... especially my new hires, it's a privilege for us to be here," Riggs said. "You don't need coffee to survive. That's not in Maslow's hierarchy. So for people to actually spend $4-5 per day, just for coffee, it says a lot."
Keeping up with the pace and learning customers' names seemed impossible considering how many people visit the store.
Lakota Lasseter, another barista, said she tries to learn a new name every day.
"People who come in at night are usually the same," Lasseter said. "It's a lot of architecture students, a lot of interior design people who are in studios and things until really late. I think I know half of the architecture program by name."
Lasseter also said she looks for favorite customers, like the professor who gets coffee with his wife every morning, or the man who pays for the drink of the person in front of him every day.
"Most of the friends I've made actually are customers," Lasseter said.
However, not all customers are interested in conversation.
"My sister had a Georgia fan just throw money at her when she was on the register," Lasseter said. "It's like the weirdest little things get on everyone's nerves there."
I had enough. I wiped the syrup residue from my hands on to my apron and sat down after standing for so long. My time behind the counter had lasted a mere hour and a half. The others' shifts were just beginning.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
