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I am a Starbucks Barista, and proud to admit it. Why? Because it's a difficult, high-paced job that requires a lot of energy, focus, patience and resolve, none of which I was fully stocked on when I began working there about two months ago.

I don't think I need to explain what Starbucks is, because if you don't know, then you probably don't speak English, and if you don't speak English then you're not reading this article anyway. That's not to say that there aren't Starbucks outlets in non-English speaking countries; there are, but they're in EVERY English speaking country, in every state and/or province, and I'd say that if you live in one and yet don't know what a Starbucks is, then it might be time to unshackle the door and step outside for the first time in years, Mr. Radley.

I've never been a career oriented person; the type who goes to college right after high school and gets a well-paying job with a great firm practically before the high-flung mortar board hits the ground during the graduation ceremony. I joined the Navy instead, and painted half the world red before I was 22 years old. I went on from there to do a little bit of everything; clerking, security guarding, taxi-driving, and a few fun things like extra work in film/TV and performing at SeaWorld in San Diego. I've always just paid the bills, and that's what I'm basically doing again, only it's something that's unlike anything I've ever done, due in part to the sheer volume of dairy products involved and the multitasking required.

As a Starbucks Barista, you have to multitask like crazy - more than most people would think. There are several positions in the store and you're assigned one of them by the shift leader when you clock in, but you help the other positions as need be. It's a constant dance, ebbing and flowing to the rhythm of the customer's requests, and the dancers never stop. If I'm at the front register and I've just completed a transaction and have no other customers, I may hear the drive-thru person repeat an order back to THEIR customer, "so that's one caramel frappucino with no whipped, will that be all for you?" and I'll spin around and make the caramel frappucino with no whipped for them.

On the other hand, if I have a customer at the front register who orders a tall brewed coffee with room for cream, then the drive-thru person may get that for them if they have no cars at the moment and they happen to hear my person's order. This way I can ring it up without having to get it

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