[bevr1337]

> or move on to a different career otherwise.

Folks rarely have this choice. What industry wants a barista outside food service? This is why we get stuck wearing a green apron for a decade, or working call center jobs, or any other crappy job.

[lotsofpulp]

People aren’t locked into being baristas. People immigrate from all over the world to the US, and become whatever they have to. Dry cleaners, landscapers, cooks, maids, nurses, etc.

[barbazoo]

Do those folks make more than minimum wage?

And becoming a nurse isn’t something you switch to after being underpaid as a barista. It’s a career with real training.