Nah. Plenty make it through the training. I often tell my green sproutlings that training goes far beyond the scheduled hours. You get scheduled training but most of it is on the job learning after that. I tell them that the first 90 days is training. A certified barista to me is competent in all aspects of barista, POS, warming, bar, CS, and DTO. Can perform all duties effectively and confidently with few mistakes. This can take anywhere from 3 months to a year depending on the person and opportunities provided to them to grow, along with effective coaching and growth in skill set. I honestly feel like it took me a year to get everything down and feel confident in all roles of a barista. Then the next step is barista trainer. First you need to be able to own all aspects of barista, then you are certified barista. Next step is being able to advise other baristas in all areas, then you are advising and ready to be a trainer.

It’s a lot to learn and it’s not as simple as non baristas might think. There’s a lot to learn behind the counter, be eager for knowledge and growth.