"Sekolah Tinggi-Tinggi, Buat Kopi Je?"

"Went to school at a high level, just to make coffee?"

The title says it all. It's been bothering me for a while now. It's a jab at my choice to quit my "real" job and start working partially as a barista.

I'm turning 31 in a few days. I should be immune to this kind of comments at this age. But it was hurtful, especially coming from someone whom I thought would be happy I chose to be happy. After all, the decision to switch careers was not something I took lightly.

It got me thinking about the value of higher education and the choices we make because of it. Education has the power to liberate, but it could also be a social trap, as it is in my case.

And I think it's because education is tied to social class, especially in countries like ours where higher education isn't cheap. My parents worked hard so that they could afford to send me to university - something my mum couldn't do because she couldn't afford it. So there is an expectation to return the favour. I imagine a well-educated person with useful degrees and a stunning career could move a whole family from one socioeconomic bracket to another in just one generation.

In that sense, me choosing the alternative path to work in a job where a university degree isn't required is a slap to their faces. A lost cause. A waste of effort. Why attain a higher education degree if I wanted to just make coffee?

Well, I didn't know what I wanted to do in life. And guess what? I still do not know. My interest now lies here. Will it change? Knowing me: definitely.

Then there is the question of minimum, liveable wage. I can tell you, again, if it wasn't for the privilege of living in my parents' home and some savings amassed from my other better-paying jobs, I would not be able to survive on the wages made from working in this industry. Again, in a capitalistic society like ours, a low-paying job puts me in the ranks of the lower class. Why would I do that to myself? Because, truly, I do not care about what people who do not matter think of me.

However, I realised that business owners are somewhat exempt from the scrutiny of social class. Business owners top the social class in a capitalistic society. Had I owned a café, people would be in awe. But how often have we heard of cafés closing down in less than a year since opening? This could be attributed to café owners not knowing what they are doing. Wouldn't it make more sense for me to start from the bottom first?

Finally, I've realised that fulfilment doesn't have a preset path, and there isn't any definitive rule that says higher education must be tied to a specific career. Sure, education can certainly be a gateway, but it doesn't have to define who you are forever. The experience I’ve gained—whether in school, the corporate world, or now as a barista—is all part of the bigger, lifetime journey to figuring out what brings me happiness and meaning.

I guess the real question isn't why I went to school only to "make coffee," but why we place so much weight on the titles and roles we think we should have. Making coffee might not be glamorous in the eyes of society, but it's where I feel grounded currently. And that’s what matters. This is not the end of my story, and I’ll keep evolving. But for now, I’ll enjoy the aroma of freshly brewed (and rather addictive) happiness and take pride in the choices I've made, even if they don’t fit the traditional mould.